Metis Tr Widening

[FlameOn]

Might be a little specific, Metis trail currently narrows from a 4 lane to a 2 lane road between 80th ave and country hills blvd back to a 4 lane at 80th ave and has been like this for several years now. This is a bit of a bottle neck for for the road and would impact the airport tunnel/96th ave extension to metis trail. Apparently there was some land owner blocking the construction work by asking for too much money for this before.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.13657...3804,15z?hl=en

Anyways drove by there the other day and it looks like a lot of the trees along that area are finally getting cut down and some heavy equipment/flood lights getting moved in on that land.

Does anyone know if the land finally got sold and work is starting? Or is this just something to do with the Savanna community development?

Can't find anything on the city's website on this particular bit and everything seems there seems to show it as a divided road.
http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation...Extension.aspx

[chemgear]

If there is anything the NE is good at, it's cutting down trees (or grass) and paving over it.

[Phaneufenstein]

I just heard about this, anecdotal so take it for what it's worth, coming for a YYC employee.
Apparently it's some "loopy old rich guy" that just wanted to give the city a big FU after they told him to pound sand in a census meeting or something.
Wanted astronomical cash for the property and city wouldn't pay it, now that the road is built, he sold it to some developers for a fraction of what he asked from the city.
So my understanding it's going to be a commercial development, not a road.

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by Phaneufenstein

I just heard about this, anecdotal so take it for what it's worth, coming for a YYC employee.
Apparently it's some "loopy old rich guy" that just wanted to give the city a big FU after they told him to pound sand in a census meeting or something.
Wanted astronomical cash for the property and city wouldn't pay it, now that the road is built, he sold it to some developers for a fraction of what he asked from the city.
So my understanding it's going to be a commercial development, not a road.

Yea I heard the same thing, it's sad that Metis trail is connected on both ends as a wide 4 lane and narrows down right around this one guy's property. Now it'll probably won't get finished?

Or is the city going to not hook up utilities unless the developer plays ball and lets them finish the road?

[Joborule]

If the developer purchased the land, I figure it's in their best interest to give the required ROW to the city to build out the road properly.

[Tapestar]

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-...you-believe-it

The owner's name was Oscar Fech, who ran for mayor a couple of times.

[You Need a Thneed]

Yes, Oscar Fech owned that land. At the time, Metis was still an expressway, meeting the city had to widen it at their cost - which would have meant purchasing land from Mr Fech, who the city had trouble dealing with.

Oscar Fech sold that half section of Land to a developer (I beleive it was $75 million), which would likely have cleared up the issue with the city not being able to purchase it. However, after the Airport Trail Tunnel went ahead, Metis Trail was downgraded from an expressway, to a Major Road (+), Developers pay for the cost of "major roads" so, it was no longer the city's responsibility to widen that stretch of metis.

That area of land is going to be called "Savanna" and I beleive that the developer is now start to get organized on doing something with it, which is probably why we see action on widening Metis Trail.

104th Ave is now open between metis Trail and 36th Street as well, and development is just starting to go ahead in the Jacksonport area (Between 36th and Metis, and between Airport Trail and Country Hills Blvd)

[speed_69]

I sure hope it gets widened to 4 lanes. It would make traffic so much easier than always getting clueless people approaching the merge together who don't know how to signal and think it's still 2 lanes each side...

[V]

Haha, Oscar's "missing mile". One of the funnier transportation related stories in Calgary.

[Meelapo]

I believe Genesis purchased the land. Their logo is posted on the "No Trespassing/Private Property" signs.

[FlameOn]

Graders and heavy equipment started work right along the farms fence property line today. Hopefully this means work is starting on the second stretch of Metis. McKnight and Metis have both been horrible since constructions started up on the McKnight and 36th st widening.