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CALGARY – The newest leg of the ring road officially opened on Friday afternoon, nearly two months after it was supposed to be finished.

The highly-anticipated roadway opened at 12 p.m., with different portions opening in phases over a three hour period.

An early blast of winter is partially to blame for delaying the $769 million project, and the contractor is also being fined over $3.5 million for missing the October 1 completion date.

Serving Calgarians who travel through this the north-south, east-west axis, Officials say Stoney Trail will improve travel and road safety for motorists, and provide better access for commercial drivers.

On Thursday night, the province confirmed they now have all the necessary information in order to open the roadway.

Non-safety related work will be finished in the spring.

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“Like so many Albertans, I have been looking forward to this smooth new stretch of freeway driving,” says Ric McIver, Minister of Transportsation. “Stoney Trail also strengthens our economy, connecting to both north-south and east-west corridors, as part of our plan to improve global market access via road, rail, air, to tidewater.”

The 25 kilometre ring road is made up of six lanes, nine interchanges, three flyovers and 27 bridges.

By the Numbers

Nearly 2.5 million man-hours by all construction and office workers since project’s inception: The same man-hours would build 5,000 1,000-square-foot homes

600,000 tonnes of asphalt: Enough to pave nearly 300,000 average sized driveways

5,000 tonnes of rebar: Equal to the average weight of 1,000 African elephants

40,000 cubic metres of concrete: Enough to fill 70,000 one-tonne pick-up trucks

Commuters were happy the long-delayed project was finally open, as it helped cut driving times.

STORIFY: Reaction to the opening of the southeast ring road

http://storify.com/globalcalgary/reaction-to-the-opening-of-the-southeast-ring-road#