Project Update - March 16, 2020 - West Calgary Ring Road

For up-to-date information on traffic detours and speed reductions, please visit 511 Alberta.

We appreciate your patience during construction.

What’s Happening

On the north side of the river, concrete work on the bridge piers continues and crews will be placing rebar on the abutment. Rebar is used to strengthen and reinforce the concrete.

Looking south at the piers on the north side of the river

South of the river, work on the retaining wall for the new pathway continues and a piling rig is on site installing piles for a retaining wall.

Timber retaining wall along new pathway (see map below)

Girder Installations

The first girders will soon be installed on one of the new ramp bridges on the Trans-Canada Highway / Stoney Trail interchange, marking a significant milestone for the project. This bridge is outside of the existing roadway in the northeast corner of the interchange. No traffic impacts are anticipated beyond a possible momentary delay to accommodate the large truck delivering the girders.

The concrete girders were fabricated in Edmonton and will travel by truck to Calgary. They will remain on the truck until the mobile crane lifts them into place.

First bridge ready for girder installation

Big Machines

The haul trucks and excavators being used on the Paskapoo Slopes to move the blasted bedrock are much bigger than those typically used for municipal infrastructure projects. These big machines are more often seen in large-scale mining operations, such as those in Fort McMurray.

These excavators can have up to 1000 horsepower

Bridge Construction

Bridge construction continues all over the North project area. Currently there are approximately 300 contractors (including tradespeople) and consultants working on the project, and as activity increases in the summer this total is expected to reach approximately 800 people.