Article content

Business owners along 17th Avenue S.W. are breathing a sigh of relief after the city announced changes to its spring and summer construction schedule.

While construction season is set to begin this month in Calgary, crews working on the 17th Avenue revitalization project will be shut down between the start of Stampede and the end of the September long weekend, allowing pubs, bars and shops on the popular downtown strip to take advantage of Calgary’s short but sweet patio season.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Cheers! 17th Avenue S.W. won't be a construction zone this summer Back to video

Ryan Murray, spokesman for the city, said the extended summer break was decided on after consultation with businesses.

“We had everyone at the table for a couple of sessions and we debriefed the 2017 schedule . . . and what we came up with is (businesses) needed a more predictable construction schedule,” Murray said.

For 2018, crews will start by finishing construction between Macleod Trail and 2nd Street S.W., keeping the driving lanes open before closing 17th Avenue three blocks at a time as construction moves west toward 14th Street S.W.