Quote:
Originally Posted by arsenal
Well since this bloody thing has been in the works since my parents bought a house in calgary (early 70's), I am going to go with the over.
City council needs to sit down and hammer this thing out. It was needed 5 years ago. By the time this actually gets completed, it will be inadequate for what the current traffic levels would (will) be. And an expansion will be needed to planned imediately. Which will then be completed by 2100.
Enough of the talk.. action needs to be taken.
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IMO, the whole hold up is the SW portion, and the Natives and their lands.
They're the ones dragging their feet in all this for the past 2+ years.
I've been to the sessions, since we live in Lakeview, only about 50 m from the south side of Glenmore.
Everything planning wise, is ready to go....when we first moved here two years ago, I read in the community newspaper that Glenmore was going to be expanded from Crowchild through to 37th...and this was just after we moved in, thinking that'd we'd be suddenly almost backing onto a widended Glenmore (as it turns out, the barrier would be higher, and the embankment on the south side of Glenmore would just be reduced...the north side is getting the brunt of the new lanes).
However, at the first meeting in Summer 2005 a couple months later, I asked at an open house to one of the city planners, as that widening of Glenmore wasn't on any on the maps or posters that had rolled out like had previously been discuseed and shown. He said that they pulled those off the table (publically) basically because it would give the natives more/better access to the Casino thats going up at 37th and Glenmore (supposedly done this summer now). The city wanted no part of giving that casino project any favours such as an expanded Glenmore, until the land issue for the ring road was solved.
To this day, there hasn't been any mention of the expanded Glenmore, which will be vital when the big interchange at Highway 8 (roughly) will be a big hub, and a natural progression from the bridge expansion near 14th street that's going to be done by the end of the year. The Garrison Woods project on the north side of Glenmore has already contructed the new barrier wall that's 30 ft closer to allow the road to be expanded as per the city's plan.
The plan is to have a bypass at about the current 37th street connected onto the ring road (so you don't have to drive as far west to start going south)...that bypass will also service the Casino. 37th street will be closed to any sort of acess to the casino, basically making it an local use only road, which is great.
Again, however, everything seems on hold. The Casino I mentioned has a big sign as per opening Summer 2007. Ambitious, since I don't think ground's been turned yet. I also know that the city isn't going to budge on providing much if any infrasturcture to it until they get the land that has been agreed on by all parties, as all that's left to do is to hammer out the price. I don't think we'll see a casino there until this is all sorted out.
However, the Tsuu Tina is playing hardball I guess. They got paid 1$ million dollars a year for 100 years for that land at 37th St and Glenmore, when the Canadian Forces used it. With that revenue not coming in anymore, the band (already in the past decade, completley mismangaed finanically) is struggling, so I think they are looking to cash in big time.
As an aside, the band wanted the Government to keep all the buildings on the land, which the band wanted to (they say) use as a school and etc, when the real plan was to lease it out to commercial business)..Government said no way, the treaty signed 100 years previous said land had to be returned to original state.
Talk in the same local newsletter last month, that the city is once again revisiting (from 5 years ago) using 37th St as the ring road, so it avoids native land and alternative to paying the natives a dime. I don't know how it would connect in that map to Stonley Trail in the NW, but apparently it can be done.
Of course, then you have a whole other opposition..residents of Lakeview who leave near what would turn from a 2 lane road to a 8 lane road, and it would cut right through the heart of the Weaselhead. NOT, an easy project to pass in its own right.
So, in summary, the city is ready to enact plans, as the deals were thought to have been struck for the land needed, but the Tsuu Tina is asking for more after the fact, which has held this up for at least 2 extra years in the SW portion, which is the trickiest, but most vital IMO, to making this a true ring road and a true alternative to travelling from south to west, and west to south arond the city.
Calgary Ring Road Proposal- some cool maps
