Foothills commuters would like improved access into Calgary via a long-proposed southwest ring road, but not at the expense of the environment, said many at an open house in Okotoks last week.
Five proposed routes for the southwest leg of a route around the city were presented at an open house in Okotoks on March 1, attracting people from Okotoks, the MD of Foothills and the City of Calgary.
A number of people at the event were sympathetic to concerns building the road across the Weaselhead area on the west side of the Glenmore Reservoir would have serious environmental impacts.
Okotoks resident Rachel Hofman said the environmental risks of such a route outweigh the potential time saved driving into the city.
“My time is less important than destroying the Weaselhead,” said Hofman, who commutes to the city with her brother Aaron.
Hofman said she doesn’t have any problems with the existing routes people can take into the city from the south. She said it takes her about 45 minutes to get to northwest Calgary, and less time to get to downtown Calgary or locations on the south side.
“What they currently have in place… is very, very good,” she said.
Any changes to the roadways likely won’t shave much more than 10 minutes off her commute, said Hofman.
The Province and City are studying potential routes for a southwest ring road after a previous plan for the road, which included crossing the Tsuu T’ina Nation, was rejected by band members in a referendum in 2009.
After the vote, the Province started looking at other options and recently brought forward five proposals last month.
Three would cross the city using existing routes such as 14 Street, Anderson Road or Deerfoot, Glenmore or Macleod Trails. One would see a freeway built between Highway 22X and Anderson Road, which would then connect to 14 Street and Glenmore Trail. In each of these four options, existing thoroughfares would need to be significantly widened to accommodate additional lanes.
A fifth option would see a freeway built along the 37 Street alignment between Highway 22X and Glenmore Trail, completing an actual ring road around the city. The controversial route would require crossing the Weaselhead area on the west end of the Glenmore Reservoir.
Red Deer Lake area residents Brian and Maureen Luchsinger said none of the routes are ideal and the Province should go back to the drawing board.
While building a freeway along the 37 Street corridor would improve their access to the city, they said they don’t want to see the road cross the Weaselhead. Brian said the potential routes along roads like 14 Street and Deerfoot and Glenmore Trails won’t do much to improve traffic access to the city from the northwest corner of the MD.
“I would use the exact same routes as now,” he said.
If the Province chose the option using Deerfoot and Glenmore trails, he said this could then require upgrades to Highway 22X and other feeder roads.
Maureen said she wants the Province to sit back down at the bargaining table with the Tsuu T’ina Nation to find reach an agreement to build a road on the reserve.
Foothills resident Alison Minue drives to Mount Royal University and said it needs to be easier to access to the city’s southwest. However, she acknowledged the options are limited without a route across the Tsuu T’ina.
“Something needs to happen to get to the west end,” she said.
Tsuu T’ina Chief Sandford Big Plume revived the possibility the road could cross the nation last week when he said he would take the plan back to his people.
Alberta Transportation spokesperson Alex Broda said the scope of the current study does not include a potential route through Tsuu T’ina, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of reaching an agreement.
“The Province has always said publicly that they’re willing to talk to Tsuu T’ina,” he said.
Broda said they are still at the early stage of the process and a recommended route will be selected by June for further study.
According to Broda, it’s estimated between 20 to 25 per cent of the vehicles expected to use the ring road will come from communities outside the city.
“Not only does it serve the City of Calgary, but it also serves the region south of Calgary,” he said.
Broda said the Province realizes any ring road option would have an impact on Highway 22X. He said they will have to address factors such as potential interchanges needed along Highway 22X and how they would connect with other roads in the area.
