17 Avenue construction halting during patio season
Posted Apr 2, 2018 2:56 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Spring is in the air and for Calgarians, the familiar sounds of construction season are back.
And as many plan to flock to 17 Avenue S.W. for a day on the patio, crews will clear out during the busiest time for the downtown retail and entertainment district.
“We realized that patio season is July and August, that’s a prime season for people to come down to the avenue. So the City has committed to no construction on 17 Avenue, no work on 17 Avenue from the time Stampede begins to the end of September long weekend,” said Ryan Murray, the City of Calgary’s 17 Avenue S.W. spokesperson.
The City faced criticism last year as businesses crawling out of an economic downturn faced ripped up streets and detours to their doors when a multi-year project began to rejuvenate the streets and replace a more than 100-year-old utility system underground.
Murray said there were lessons learned and adjustments made to continue work that will be less disruptive to restaurants, bars and Calgarians.
“We’ve tightened up the construction fencing a bit, and we want to make sure that we’re only in working at about three blocks per time, instead of expanding to the four, five or six blocks that we had in place last year,” said Murray.
Work began in 2017 on the east end of the strip. The original plans had been adjusted to ease traffic congestion and accommodate businesses, which will result in construction taking up to four years to complete the $44 million project. This round of construction begins in early April and will wrap up at the end of October.
The City of Calgary is encouraging drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to go online if they need help navigating through the street.
