After months of construction and traffic tie-ups, the city says the new west leg of the LRT will open early next month.

Workers will be doing a lot of touch-up work in the next couple of weeks to be ready for the December 10th opening.

“By constructing all the aspects of the project simultaneously, we were able to construct it in just three years,” said City of Calgary General Manager of Transportation Mac Logan. “To put this schedule into perspective, it usually takes two years to extend an existing LRT line to just one new station.
 
“We appreciate the support and understanding of people in west Calgary as we escalated the work.”

Along with overhangs to guard riders from Calgary weather and adding more park and ride lots, the project saw a 69th Street interchange at Sarcee Trail and 17th Avenue southwest.

All six new LRT stations will welcome 30,000 passengers when they open.

Officials say the ride from the 69th Street Station into downtown will be 12 minutes.