Project Update - June 14, 2021 - West Calgary Ring Road

What’s Happening in Traffic This Week

Highway 8 & 101 Street S.W. Right-in Right-out Only

Access at the Highway 8 and 101 Street S.W. intersection is now restricted to right-in, right-out. No left turns are permitted at the intersection.

This intersection is currently within the Southwest Calgary Ring Road project limits. For more information about this traffic pattern change, please visit swcrrproject.com.

Crestmont Boulevard S.W. Single Lane Alternating Traffic

Utility work continues on Crestmont Boulevard S.W. this week. Single lane alternating traffic is in effect.

Trans-Canada Highway Reduced to One Lane Overnight

From June 16 to 22, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night, the Trans-Canada Highway will be reduced to a single lane in each direction at the Stoney Trail interchange. The lane closures are needed for bridge girder installation. Delays are expected.

Old Banff Coach Road S.W. Shifting to Eastbound Lanes

This week, westbound traffic on Old Banff Coach Road S.W. will be shifted to the eastbound lanes for storm line construction.

101 Street S.W. South of Heritage Woods Drive S.W.

Next week, on June 21 and 22, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., a portion of 101 Street S.W. just south of Heritage Woods Drive S.W. will operate as a single lane of alternating traffic. ENMAX will be relocating utilities.

Thank You!

The ramp from southbound Stoney Trail to westbound Trans-Canada Highway was paved this weekend. The paving happened overnight to minimize traffic impacts, which meant disruptions for adjacent residents. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding.

Looking north at the start of the exit ramp

Looking south with the ramp to westbound Trans-Canada Highway on the right

All work is weather dependent. Please check 511 Alberta and The City of Calgary’s traffic information map for up-to-date information on traffic detours and speed reductions.

We appreciate your patience during construction.

South Bridge Piers

Last week – pouring concrete for the bridge pier

North Pier Segments

April Progress Snapshot

There wasn’t much of a winter slowdown on the North project this year. April’s major milestones included two bridge decks poured and ground improvements for the Valley Ridge Boulevard N.W. interchange bridges.

Crestmont Boulevard S.W. Re-alignment

After a significant amount of preparation in this previously undeveloped area – earthworks, relocating and installing new utilities, grading – road construction for the new Crestmont Boulevard S.W. alignment is underway.

The first lift (layer) of granular base course (GBC) for the new Crestmont Boulevard S.W. alignment is placed

Looking south at rollers compacting the GBC for the road base

Another load of gravel for the road base

Ramp paving – Eastbound Trans-Canada Highway to northbound Stoney Trail

A vibrating roller compacts the granular base course (GBC) for the new ramp

The asphalt used for roads is called Hot Mix Asphalt; the gravel aggregate and asphalt cement are heated to ~300 degrees Fahrenheit so the aggregate speads out evenly and the cement is fluid enough to coat the aggregate surfaces

The Hot Mix Asphalt is dumped from the haul trucks into the hoppers on the front of the paving machines, which spread the asphalt as they move forward

Subgrade Preparation in the Springbank Ravine

Transportation engineers refer to the native material underneath a road or bridge structure as the subgrade. The marshy earth in the Springbank Ravine is not a suitable subgrade to support the road. Work to remove and replace it with more suitable materials has been ongoing since last fall.

The ravine will remain a natural drainage course and continue to convey stormwater through a culvert installed in its place.

An excavator digs out the existing subgrade, lines the trench with Geotextile fabric and adds a layer of drainage rock

Once the drainage rock is spread and compacted, pit run (a naturally occurring gravel and soil that can be hard packed to form a dense subgrade) is added

This section of subgrade preparation is nearing completion

Pavement Quality Control

Quality control for asphalt pavement includes smoothness testing and checking for segregation. Segregation is when the gravel aggregate and cement used to form asphalt separate, resulting in a less durable pavement.

Example of severe segregation Image credit: Alberta Transportation Segregation Rating Manual

There are a number of ways to test pavement smoothness, and even an International Roughness Index to rate the uniformity of the pavement surface, also known as surface regularity.

A straight edge test is a simple and effective way to test smoothness by measuring low points in the pavement. It works by laying a steel straight edge on the pavement so both ends are touching the road surface and visually identifying gaps between the straight edge and the pavement. Then the gaps are measured with a ruled or graded wedge – a wedge with measurements to determine the height of the gap.