Completed in fall 2021 | View the Master Plan

The Montgomery (Bowness Road) project was the first Main Street to be completed as part of The City's Main Streets program. Construction on Bowness Road began in 2020 and was completed in 2021.

The updated streetscape includes:

• Mobility and safety improvements: A multi-use pathway and sidewalk on both sides of Bowness Road; enhanced pedestrian crossings through the corridor for safety; intersection improvements, for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians;
• Road and transit upgrades: New road surface on Bowness Road from MacKay Road to west of 52 Street N.W.; Better access to transit stops; new curbs and gutters to improve drainage; upgraded traffic signals at Bowness Road and Home Road NW
• Utilities and infrastructure: Green landscaping to reduce stormwater run-off; burying the overhead power lines at Bowness Road and 52 Street N.W.
• Placemaking and public realm: New street lighting along the corridor; new landscaping and amenities to make the street a destination; new benches and recycling bins

Completed in spring 2023 | View the Master Plan

The 17 Avenue S.W. project was the second Main Street to be completed as part of The City's Main Streets program. Construction began in 2022 and was completed in 2023.

The updated streetscape includes:

• Mobility and safety improvements: Curb extensions and signal upgrades to improve pedestrian crossings; sidewalk improvements; wider sidewalks on both sides of the bridge over Crowchild Trail at 17 Avenue.
• Road and transit upgrades: Curb extensions at four intersections near the Alexander Ferguson School as part of the Community Mobility Initiative program.
• Utilities and infrastructure: Water and sanitary main upgrades on 17 Avenue between 28 Street and 26 Street, and on 26 Street between 17 Avenue and Bow Trail; utility upgrades
• Placemaking and public realm: Enhanced landscaping, including increasing the urban tree canopy

Completed in spring 2024 | View the Master Plan

The 37 Street S.W. project was the third Main Street to be completed as part of The City's Main Streets program. Construction began in 2022 and was completed in 2024.

The updated streetscape includes:

• Mobility and safety improvements: A narrowed road to slow traffic and create a boulevard, providing more separation for pedestrians from traffic; enhanced pedestrian crossings through curb and sidewalk extensions and further separation from traffic.
• Road and transit upgrades: A new road surface between Bow Trail and Richmond Road S.W.; making lane widths consistent down the entire boulevard.
• Utilities and infrastructure: A multi-use pathway on the east side of 37 Street S.W.
• Placemaking and public realm: Additional spacing between homes on 37 Street S.W. and the street allowing enough space to plant approximately 300 new trees.

Completed in fall 2025 | View the Master Plan

The updated streetscape includes:

• Mobility and safety improvements: Wider sidewalks on both sides of 33 Avenue S.W.; a multi-use pathway and sidewalk on the south side of 34 Avenue S.W.; enhanced pedestrian crossings; and intersection upgrades for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, including traffic services.
• Road and transit upgrades: New road surface from 18 Street S.W. to Crowchild Trail S.W.; improved access to transit stops, including the MAX Yellow Marda Loop Station.
• Utilities and infrastructure: Burying 1 km of overhead power lines; new streetlighting throughout the corridor.
• Placemaking and public realm: New landscaping, furnishings and amenities to support the area as a place to live, work and play; reimagined “Loop within the Loop” area (18–19 Streets between 34–36 Avenues S.W.) with porous paving, landscaping and furnishings.
• Community identity and design: Restored historic Marda Loop lollipop signs; new Marda Loop entrance sign on the west end of 33 Avenue S.W.; streetlighting and traffic signal cabinets painted by muralist Tayler Schenkeveld; new wayfinding signage.

A Main Street is the cultural, social and economic focal point of a community. Main Streets are the heart of the community. They are designed to be lively and have many different uses, like shops, offices, and various types of homes. This helps support a higher number of people living and working there. Main Streets are places where people can live, meet, and enjoy a variety of activities together. 24 main street areas have been identified in the Municipal Development Plan.    

To reach their full potential, Calgary’s Main Streets need both public and private investment. It is typical for communities experiencing growth and change to attract new private investment and development after The City has completed Main Streets program improvements. More development will bring more people and jobs to the community, making the area more appealing to local businesses and residents.

A vibrant Main Street is resilient, adaptable and attractive. Main Streets capture the character of a community by being inviting, safe, attractive and memorable. They are diverse streets when it comes to commerce, residents and culture, featuring a mix of old and new and a land use framework that supports this diversity. This diversity is also supported by a multi-modal transportation network. 

Construction on 1 Avenue N.E. (Bridgeland) Main Street is in progress with completion expected in 2026. The Sunalta Main Street is currently funded for development, however construction has not yet been funded.     

Council approved two main street locations to receive investment in the 2023-26 budget cycle: Bridgeland and Marda Loop (33/34 Avenue S.W.). We will ask Council for more investment in the Main Streets program for the 2027-30 budget cycle.   

Since we can’t fund every main street location, we prioritize which locations receive investment first by looking at public input, data, and other key considerations to make informed decisions. Because of budget limits, some of the Main Streets will be built in phases. Short-term improvements that meet the community's most important needs might be done first. 

Some of the improvements you can expect to see in an active main street construction area could include mobility improvements (ie. pedestrian crossings), public realm improvements (ie. sidewalk widening, landscaping), public transit improvements (ie. improved connections/stops), and/or business support improvements (ie. land use redesignations, parking considerations). 

There are many criteria that are looked at when considering the next location to receive investment from the Main Streets program:

• Market readiness and momentum
• Community’s standing on the Equity Index
• Community’s capacity to handle growth
• Cost and complexity of the project
• Status of the Local Area Plan, if any
• Existence of transit-friendly road infrastructure and mixed-use buildings
• Return on public investment
• Existence of a Business Improvement Area (BIA) within the main street
• Opportunity to improve street performance
•  Supportive of The City’s Climate Strategy

• Montgomery (Bowness Road) - What We Heard Report (Phase 1 | Phase 2)
• 17 Avenue S.W. - What We Heard Report
• 37 Street S.W. - What We Heard Report
• Bridgeland - What We Heard Report
• Marda Loop - What We Heard Report
• 9 Avenue S.E. - What We Heard Report

• 1 Avenue NE Main Streets survey results
• 14 Street SW Main Streets survey results
• 17 Avenue SW Main Streets survey results
• 33 and 34 Avenue SW Main Streets survey results
• 37 Street SW Main Streets survey results
• Bowness Road (Bowness) Main Streets survey results
• Bowness Road (Montgomery) Main Streets survey results
• Kensington Road NW Main Streets survey results
• Macleod Trail SE Main Streets survey results
• Richmond Road SW Main Streets survey results