The road is being built to accommodate traffic volumes projected for the next 30 years, which are estimated to be between 80,000 and 100,000 vehicles per day on some sections.

The Southwest Calgary Ring Road will be between Highway 8 (near the Elbow Springs Golf Club) and Macleod Trail SE, including reconstruction of Glenmore Trail from Sarcee Trail to east of 37 Street.

Government of Alberta issued a Request for Proposals for the design and construction of the Southwest Calgary Ring Road project.

Major construction started on the southwest section of the Calgary Ring Road.

Gravel operations

North crushing operation

The north crushing operation within the future West Calgary Ring Road is 200 metres from residences. Dust, noise and air quality is regularly monitored, and all provincial and project requirements and guidelines are being enforced.

Find:

Health impact assessment

In February 2017, Alberta Transportation commissioned a geo-environmental consultant to complete a Health Impact Assessment of the gravel mining and crushing operations near the community of West Springs.

The assessment reviewed:

forms of silica typically found in Calgary aggregate and their associated risks

existing regulatory guidelines associated with exposure to fine particulate silica dust

possible health risks associated with the gravel operation adjacent to the West Springs community

Alberta Health Services reviewed the proposed dust mitigation and monitoring plans, and indicated the gravel operation should not negatively impact the health of nearby residents, if the plan is effectively implemented.

Read about the Health Impact Assessment and its findings.

Alberta Transportation is working closely with the project contractor to ensure effective mitigation measures are implemented. This includes regular monitoring of:

fine particulate matter

silica

dust

wind

noise levels

Air quality and noise monitoring

Air quality and noise monitoring data is updated monthly. Results to date indicate that air quality and noise is generally well below all established thresholds. In some instances, the thresholds were exceeded because of:

overall air quality in the City of Calgary

BC wildfires, which put the entire City of Calgary in an air quality warning

close proximity of another contractor’s work on the West Calgary Connector utility lines

high winds

Read air quality and noise monitoring data reports:

Air quality

When thresholds were exceeded, immediate action was taken to identify and address its cause. Alberta Transportation will continue to monitor air quality and if thresholds are exceeded again, will reduce dust in a number of ways, including:

sprinklers or tarps

altering work practices

stopping work

Noise threshold

A low-noise crusher is being used to minimize noise impacts on local communities.

Impacts are assessed by 3 noise monitoring devices. Monitoring data indicates the gravel operation’s noise is generally well below the average threshold of 65 decibels during working hours.

The threshold was exceeded at the monitor on the west side of the gravel operations, approximately 300 metres away from the nearest residences. These results were influenced by:

another contractor’s work on the West Calgary connector utility lines

construction of the eastside berm

tree planting

high winds

relocating the monitors, which created data anomalies

Alberta Transportation will continue working with contractors to identify opportunities to minimize noise impacts.

Asphalt processing

An infrastructure project of this size requires that asphalt processing locations be close to the construction site. There are 2 processing locations:

adjacent to Highway 22X and 37 Street SW (more than 700 metres from the nearest home)

west Strathcona, south of Highway 8 (between 1 and 1.5 km from the nearest home)

Alberta Transportation worked with the project contractor to ensure the asphalt plants are located in an area with the least impact to area residents. The contractor has been adhering to Alberta’s Code of Practice for Asphalt Processing Plants, which lays out environmental requirements and manages emissions.

P3 agreement

The ring road is being built using a Design-Build-Finance-Operate (DBFO) procurement process. This method is considered the best option to ensure the road is built and open to traffic within project timelines. The DBFO model will also allow government to realize significant cost savings.

Read the project’s P3 agreement documents.

News

Contact

For more information on the Southwest Calgary Ring Road:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)

Phone: 403-200-6935

Toll free: 310-0000 before the number (in Alberta)

Email: estella.petzold@gov.ab.ca

Address:

Alberta Transportation

Major Capital Projects: Southwest Calgary Ring Road

Willowglen Business Park

Main Floor, 803 Manning Road NE

Calgary, Alberta T2E 7M8