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New lanes will be added to a 21-kilometre stretch of Deerfoot Trail as part of plans to improve the key transportation corridor through Calgary.

The northbound and southbound lanes will be added between Beddington Trail in the north and Anderson Road/Bow Bottom Trail in the south, with the aim of improving traffic flow and easing congestion, Transportation Minister Brian Mason said at a provincial government announcement Thursday.

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The plans also include upgrades to interchanges at Memorial Drive, 17th Avenue, Glenmore Trail, Southland Drive and Anderson/Bow Bottom.

Construction isn’t expected to begin until at least 2023.

“As anyone who drives will tell you, Deerfoot is overcapacity, particularly during rush hours, and the problem is getting worse,” Mason said at a news conference in Calgary.

“When the road was built to a configuration as a full freeway in 2005, Calgary already had a million residents. Today, Calgary is approaching 1.3 million people, excluding the rapidly growing populations of Airdrie and Chestermere.”