Project Update – May 31, 2021
What’s Happening in Traffic This Week
Accurate Traffic and Detour Information
Alberta Transportation has recently received several inquiries about a rumoured detour to Old Banff Coach Road S.W. for eastbound Valley Ridge traffic. All detours must be approved by Alberta Transportation and major detours continue to be shared in the weekly project updates and on westringroad.ca. Please visit these resources to receive accurate information as construction continues.
Given the scale of work on the West Calgary Ring Road, some impacts to traffic are unavoidable to complete the significant construction needed to rebuild the Valley Ridge Boulevard N.W. interchange. Major detours should be expected periodically and will continue to be communicated as noted above.
Eastbound Trans-Canada Highway to Northbound Stoney Trail Nightly Detour
Each night this week (Monday, May 31 to Thursday, June 3), from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m., the ramp from eastbound Trans-Canada Highway to northbound Stoney Trail will be closed for overhead bridge work. Traffic will be detoured to the Bowfort Road N.W. interchange.
101 Street S.W. Traffic Shifted to Detour
On Wednesday, June 2, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., 101 Street S.W. traffic will be shifted to a detour to accommodate roundabout construction.
Old Banff Coach Road S.W. West of Cougar Ridge Drive S.W.
This week various lane closures will be required to build a crossover in the median between westbound and eastbound Old Banff Coach Road S.W. Once the crossover is in place, westbound traffic will be shifted onto the eastbound lanes, and the westbound lanes will be closed west of Cougar Ridge Drive S.W. to accommodate storm line construction on the north side of the road.
Storm line construction will require an excavated trench, which will be fenced for public safety. Pedestrians will not be able to cross north-south except at the Cougar Ridge Drive N.W. intersection.
Crestmont Boulevard S.W. – Single Lane Alternating Traffic
Utility work continues along Crestmont Boulevard S.W. this week. Old Banff Coach Road S.W. is an alternative route to avoid this lane closure.
REMINDER – Lower Springbank Road Closed June 1
Tomorrow, June 1, Lower Springbank Road S.W. will be permanently closed between Slopeview Drive S.W. and 101 Street S.W.
Valley Ridge Boulevard N.W. Lane Closure
The right lane will be closed on northbound Valley Ridge Boulevard N.W. between the traffic circle and Valley Ridge Drive N.W. until Monday, June 7. The lane will be used as a temporary pathway while construction on the permanent pathway is underway.
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.
Watermain Relocation
A section of watermain at the west end of Valley Ridge is being removed and relocated.
Looking west at the beginning stages of excavation for the watermain
While excavation continues, crews assemble the watermain
The depth of the watermain is relatively shallow which makes it susceptible to freezing; the Styrofoam lining helps to insulate the pipe and prevent freezing
Watermains carry our drinking water. Over time, sediments and deposits can build up in the pipes and begin to affect water clarity and quality. Opening fire hydrants helps to flush out the pipe as part of regular maintenance. The increased water flow to the hydrants stirs up minerals and deposits and flushes them out. Hydrant flushing is also a tool to check that there is enough water pressure and flow.
Flushing hydrants are installed on the waterline
Casing Pipes and Carrier Pipes – More Than You Wanted to Know
When two utilities intersect it’s called a crossing. A trenchless crossing was used to install a storm line to connect these stormponds under an intersecting gas line.
Trenchless construction – which is underground construction using drilling or boring rather than an open trench – requires force to push the pipe horizontally, like a ram or a jack. The pipe being pushed is called a casing pipe, which is strong enough to withstand the force and large enough to encase the carrier pipe.
Image credit: apsonline.com
Carrier pipes are fitted with spacers, which centre them inside the casing pipe.
Casing pipe spacers provide separation between the carrier pipe and the casing pipe
Pipe spacers can also be configured to position the carrier pipe several different ways inside the casing pipe.
Image credit: bwmcompany.com
In April, a small shaft was dug for pipe installation
Crews install a horizontal boring machine in the shaft
Looking down into the shaft at the concrete casing pipe – sometimes called jacking pipe
With the connection between the two ponds complete, the shoring walls for the boring shaft are removed (above and below)
Soil Nail Wall Along Crestmont Boulevard S.W.
The new alignment of Crestmont Boulevard S.W. is cut into the slope and a soil nail wall was constructed to stabilize the embankment beside the road. More than 500 soil nails were drilled into the slope and then a high-strength steel wire mesh was secured to the slope face. It has now been seeded for vegetation.
The soil nail wall has been covered in a layer of soil (left) and then sprayed with hydromulch (right) consisting of grass seed, mulch and fertilizers; grass on the slope will reduce erosion 
Centre Pier Barrier Cured
Concrete barriers are sometimes installed around bridge piers in high-traffic areas where the potential to be hit by a vehicle is greater. Such is the case for this Trans-Canada Highway bridge with thousands of vehicles using the road every day.
April 13, 2021 – Formwork and rebar for the concrete barrier being installed 
April 21, 2021 – Concrete being poured into the barrier forms
May 19, 2021 – Concrete barriers protecting the bridge’s centre piers in the median of the Trans-Canada Highway
109 Street S.W.
The upgraded interchange at Valley Ridge Boulevard N.W. includes construction of a new road – 109 Street S.W. – to connect Crestmont Boulevard S.W., 1 Avenue S.W. and West Valley Road S.W. to the interchange. Earthworks and utility installations are underway.
Looking south at the rough grades for the roundabout and 109 Street S.W.
Sanitary sewer installation just south of West Valley Road S.W.
Old Banff Coach Road S.W. Interchange
All three centre pier columns for the Old Banff Coach Road S.W. bridge have been successfully poured.
Removing the formwork from the last pier; each has now cured
Deck Pour PPE
The cement used to make concrete becomes corrosive (high alkalinity) when mixed with water and can cause skin irritation or severe burns if it comes in contact with bare skin. People working with concrete wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to shield their skin from contact, including safety glasses, gloves, thick rubber boots and long clothing.
Once the concrete is poured, an evaporation retarder is sprayed on the surface to form a protective layer that prevents water from evaporating, allowing the concrete to cure at a consistent rate. The white suit protects the person spraying the compound from the caustic effects it can have on bare skin.
