[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by temple5

So if someone from the South wanted to use Stoney to get to the airport they would need to take

Stoney to McKnight
McKnight to Metis
Metris to 80 (or whatever side street to get them to 36)
36 to Airport Trail/96 Ave

Or Just take Deerfoot.

After the tunnel, that would be one route, if you were going to take Stoney. The other way would be to take Stoney to Country Hills Blvd, and take 36th Street/Airport Trail or Barlow Trail down to the airport. It not nearly as appealling for people from the south. I would agree that most would just take deerfoot.

Originally Posted by temple5

I still think the Calgary Airport Authority is probably one of the best run airports in the country, but they way they dealt with the City on this issue makes them look like a bunch of wrinkly duches.

I personally don't see too much issue with the way the Airport handled this. Previously, they had put some money on the table to pay a share of it, but when the city seemed to be going back an forth on it in the days before Nenshi, they pulled their money off the table, at least for upfront costs. Also, their money was always conditional on the other orders of government chipping in, which never happened. Despite how the tunnel has been portrayed in the media sometimes, and even by it's promoters, the primary reason for the tunnel has always to provide an arterial road & future transitway between Deerfoot and the developing area east of the airport. Providing access to the airport itself is a secondary reason, but solely for that reason, it probably wasn't necessary. That's why the Airport kept saying that they didn't need it. They would benefit from it, but not really enough to justify their involvement in it. The final agreement with the city includes the CAA providing some money for the first phase of interchanges and half the money for the ultimate interchanges decades down the road - this is money that the city would not have got without the agreement. So the CAA still is giving money towards the project, it's just money in the future, instead of now. The only main issue with the CAA that I can see is their rejection of the city's traffic studies that said those interchanges wouldn't be required for decades.

Originally Posted by temple5

Until the Tunnel is connected to Metis Trail and Stoney Trail, the Tunnel will be completely useless.

Nope. It will be quite useful, though not quite as useful as with the connection. There will be regular traffic going through the tunnel starting on opening day - including transit. It will be used by people going to and from the airport. It will be used by people going to industrial parks surrounding the airport. It will be used as a cross town route between the NE and NC/NW. etc.

Originally Posted by temple5

I am really surprised the City didn't make this known to shame the Airport Authority in reneging on it.

This is nothing new, it was widely reported at the time the city made the agreement.