Calgary's west LRT a 'signature project'
Construction prep work already underway
By Kim Guttormson, Calgary HeraldAugust 12, 2009 7:06 AM
CALGARY - The long-awaited, much-contested west leg of the LRT is On track and by this time next year major construction on the first new C-Train line in more than two decades will be underway.
"I'm looking forward to it," says Georgina Bosch, one of thousands of west-side residents who are excited about the prospect of finally seeing the line stretch out to their busy neighbourhoods.
Bosch, now retired, would have loved the LRT when she was working downtown, but imagines she'll still use it whenever she heads into the core--especially "given the cost of parking."
But before people in the city's west end can take advantage of LRT service-- enjoyed by other Calgarians in the south, northwest and northeast for years -- sections of Bow Trail will be dug up, roads rerouted and three years of traffic chaos will ensue.
For many, starting work on the 8.4 kilometres of track that will service the growing western edge of the city is a significant milestone.
"It's a signature project for Calgary, it's been on the books for over 30 years," Mayor Dave Bronconnier says. "This train, it's been wanted for a long time. The planning is finished and we're now moving forward."
Darcy Anderson, a realtor with Royal Lepage-Foothills, says he recently sold a home across from the Westbrook shopping centre, touting its proximity to the new line. Two people made offers without viewing it, he adds.
"(The LRT) is a major factor," Anderson says of properties within walking distance of the future station.
While the contract to design and build the west leg won't be awarded until this fall -- three consortiums submitted technical submissions in July, financials are due in October --west LRT project manager Jon Halford says work will be able to begin early in 2010.
The winning companies will have already done the bulk of the design work for its bid and can hit the ground running, he adds. As well, the construction won't be starting at point A and laying track to point B.
"We're not starting at one end and working to the other. We will be working on multiple locations," Halford says. "It won't be staggered."
Even though the most visible-- and disruptive--work won't begin until next year, the city has been taking care of pre-construction tasks this summer.
Nine holes on the Shaganappi Golf Course have been realigned to accommodate the tracks.
Designs for all the stations have been done and are posted on the website, westlrt.ca.As well, the 27 residential properties and 18 commercial buildings needed for the LRT right-of-way will be removed next month.
While negotiations continue with a handful of the homeowners who were expropriated, and some owners and tenants of commercial buildings, the city is now in legal possession of all the property it needs.
Sarah Quayle, the project lead for business operations for the west LRT, says 18 homes will be relocated, rather than torn down, including some that will go to the Tsuu T'ina nation, some being used by the fire department for training and others used by parks as office space or storage depots.
"It's a significant reduction in the amount of material going into the landfill," she points out. "Seventy to 80 per cent of the material is able to be recycled."
Other prep work underway includes the concrete canopy over the Telus World of Science parking being removed to allow for the catenary system that powers the trains, and reconfiguring its parking lot. While the new science centre is under construction across Memorial Drive from the zoo, it won't be ready until 2011, and the city plans to eventually use the existing building, which it owns, for a major public facility.
The outdoor volleyball courts north of the science centre have been closed, set to be rebuilt and reopened by 2013.
Utilities, including power transmission lines and gas lines, are being relocated at Sarcee Trail and 17th Avenue, where an interchange will be built.
And the city is looking for new space for the Ernest Manning High School playing fields, which will be torn up during construction. Once a new high school is built in the west end, which is already under construction, the original building will be torn down.
"We're getting everything ready for the design-build team to come," Halford says.
Getting to this point has taken almost two years of fights with the communities the LRT will run through. First approved in 2007, when the province announced its 10-year infrastructure funding program, the alignment of the west route caused no shortage of headaches.
Ald. John Mar, barely elected when the issue began enraging his communities, says the city changed how it deals with concerns and the final version of the LRT is considered better by neighbourhoods at the eastern edge of the line.
"We were able to work with citizens and eliminate virtually every problem on my side of the LRT," Mar says.
On the western half of the line, there are still concerns the tracks won't be buried at 45th Street and about park and ride lots.
kguttormson@theherald. canwest.com---------
West LRT
Info: An 8.4-kilometre track running from downtown to 69th Street S. W., the first new LRT line in more than 20 years. It will be elevated coming out of downtown along 10th Avenue, run up the middle of Bow Trail between 19th and 31st Streets, run underground at the West-Brook mall before returning to street level at 41st Street and 17th Avenue and then running to 69th Street.
Construction Start Date: First quarter of 2010
Construction End Date: December 2012
Estimated Budget: $700 million, but the tender will be awarded this fall.
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