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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27TH
In the SW, on 2nd Street from 8th Avenue to 7 Avenue, the two LHL's are blocked off until tomorrow (Sunday) at 6 AM
In the SW on 4th Avenue at 4 Street, two LHL's are blocked until tomorrow (Sunday) at 5 PM.
In the SW until 12 Noon along 4th Street from 7th Avenue to 6th Avenue, the road will be reduced to one lane for traffic signal work.
In the SW until 4 PM tomorrow (Sunday) on 8th Avenue in both directions at 11th Street, the
road is reduced down to one lane.
In the SW, Old Banff Coach Road is reduced to one lane in both directions from 77th to 73 Street
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NEWS, NEW CLOSURES & MAJOR ONGOING SLOWDOWNS:
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SOUTHWEST:
In the SW, work has begun on the West LRT project. That'll lead to tieups along Bow Trail & 17th Avenue between downtown and 69th Street until sometime in 2012, but it begins with work along Bow between 24th & 33rd Streets, where WB traffic is narrowed from 3 lanes to 2 in the area, from 7 AM - 3 PM until today (Sunday). Then, tomorrow ( Monday), the WB lane narrowing kicks in full-time 24/7.
In the SW, on 4th Avenue, between 7th & 8th Streets downtown, the RHL is closed while crews build the new Louise fire & EMS station.
And on 8th Street, between 12th & 13th Avenues, the SB RHL is closed, and 8th is frequently narrowed to 1 lane each way in that area.
Get used to those closures -- they'll be in effect until September ... 2011.
In the SW, on 8th Street between 12th & 13th Avenues, the SB RHL is shut down. That also runs until September 2011.
In the SW, a lane reversal is in effect on Bow Trail from 6 AM - 9 AM every weekday morning. That runs between 9th Avenue & Pumphouse Road.
SOUTHEAST:
In the SE, Dartmouth Road is completely closed between 25th & 26th Avenues, and, Dartmouth Road is also closed between 24th Avenue & Highfield Road.
Those closures have now been extended for a full month, to Friday March 19th.
Spiller or Highfield Roads are possible alternate routes.
Downtown in the SE, on 4th Street between 7th & 8th Avenues, the SB LHL is closed until April 30th.
Downtown in the SE, 6th Avenue is only open to WB traffic between 6th & 4th Streets, and closed to all EB drivers. That'll run til further notice.
And then, downtown in the SE, on 6th Avenue between 3rd Street & Macleod Trail, the road is down to 3 WB lanes and 1 EB lane, until April 30th.
Downtown in the SE, 9th Avenue is down to 2 lanes of EB traffic only, between 3rd & 6th Streets. That'll be in place til May 31st.
NORTHWEST:
NORTHEAST:
In the NE, Harvest Hills Drive is narrowed to 1 in each direction at Harvest Wood Road. 'Storm pond maintenance' will keep things constricted until today (Sunday).
In the NE, construction work is going on the ramp from SB Harvest Hills Blvd onto NB Beddington Trail, with speeds reduced to 50 km/h. That'll run til the end of March.
In the NE, on 16th Avenue at 5th Street, the LH turn-bay from EB 16th onto NB 5th is closed until the end of April.
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WEST LRT PROJECT SLATED TO SLOW BOW FOR 3 YEARS:
Starting Tuesday (Feb 16th) construction begins on the West LRT project.. and it'll drag on for 3 full years.
It'll begin slowly, but eventually ramp up and really cause traffic nightmares along Bow Trail & 17th Avenue between downtown & 69th Street.
Over the course of the construction, there will be temporary lane closures, followed by full-on road closures, and speed limits thru the work zone will be knocked down.
Initially, from 7 AM - 3 PM daily from Tuesday (Feb 16th) thru Sunday February 28th, on Bow Trail between 24th & 33rd Streets -- across from the Shaganappi golf course -- the road will be squeezed down to 2 lanes.
As well, 24th Street will be closed between 14th Avenue & Bow Trail, and that will go until further notice.
The City has a few recommendations to avoid holdups including taking an alternate route, giving yourself extra drive-time, using a car-pool, or taking transit or biking or walking.
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TOW TOW TOW .. YOUR BOAT:
City Council has approved a proposal to have a number of tow-trucks on standby along major roads.
The plan calls for the trucks to be stationed during the morning and afternoon rush hours along a number of major roads, and they'd zoom into action to clear accidents quickly. The tow-trucks would be poised to pounce on problems on Deerfoot Trail, as well as Crowchild Trail near the Bow River, Memorial Drive between Deerfoot & Edmonton Trail, Macleod Trail between Anderson Road & 162nd Avenue, and on Glenmore Trail on the causeway.
The plan calls for a one-year test that'll cost about 630-thousand dollars.
The hope is the fleet of tow-mobiles will get crashes off the roads quickly, and get traffic flowing again.
The cash for the pilot project has been allocated, and final word on when this will get underway will come soon.
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FEBRUARY RADAR:
Throughout February, the police are concentrating their radar and photo-radar setups on NB & SB Deerfoot Trail, and in West Hillhurst, Sunnyside, and Sundance.
As usual, they'll also be focussing on school & playground zones throughout the city, and will have 47 Safety Cameras at 47 intersections around Calgary, with 10 of those set up as Speed on Green enforcement cameras as well.
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BRRRR... WINTER DRIVING SEASON:
During the winter, it's always a good idea to keep the windshield washer fluid reservoir topped up, since any snowy day immediately leads to vehicles guzzling it like a troubled celebrity on a bender.
It's also recommended the car's gasoline tank is kept topped up in winter to help avoid fuel-line freeze-up.. and just in case you get stuck in a long traffic jam that gobbles up the gas. Putting in some gas-line anti-freeze is another preventative measure.
If you're driving in cold weather, always be sure to take along warm clothing, because you never know when the beast might break down. It's easy to get complacent if you leave the warm house, get in the warm car, then head toward the warm workplace or shopping center.
Meanwhile, take some time to prep the car by brushing off all the snow to give yourself added visibility, and to help out by not dumping additional snow onto the roads. Reps with Carmacks -- who maintain Deerfoot Trail -- say it sounds crazy, but when tens-of-thousands of vehicles start depositing snow from unbrushed cars onto the road, it can actually add up, and increase the amount of accumulation on the streets.
And, if you have the misfortune of having your battery die.. if you get it boosted back to life, it needs to re-charge. The best way to do that is to take it for a drive of at least 20/30 minutes, with as few of the electrical systems operating as possible.
If you simply boost it, then turn it off, it's unlikely it will start again.
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PROJECT RUNWAY COULD CLOSE BARLOW TRAIL
The construction of a new runway at the Calgary International Airport could lead to the closure of Barlow Trail, east of YYC. That's slated to take place in early 2011, and people who live or operate businesses anywhere near that area are concerned about the effect the closure would have.
There is a proposal to build a tunnel under the runway along Airport Trail, but it will cost approximately 150 million dollars to construct, and Calgary politicians say can't be done without provincial and federal financial contributions.
As the deadline draws closer, expect the topic to be top-of-mind.
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I'VE BEEN WAITING ON THE RAILROAD...
Drivers constantly call the 660 News Traffic Center to report backups as a result of trains crossing major roads -- especially in the SE industrial parks.
There is some good news, but it won't happen for some time.
CN has announced it's moving it's rail-yard northeast of the city, to Conrich, but that won't happen until at least 2013.
So, expect the holdups along 50th Avenue at Barlow Trail & 52nd Street (among others) to continue for some time.
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TEXTING & DRIVING DON'T MIX:
New studies on texting & driving are super-scary.
U.S. traffic safety experts say sending a text while behind the wheel is.. 20 times more dangerous than taking a phone call.
The study showed that drivers take their eyes off the road for an average of 6 seconds, and at 100 km/h, vehicles cover the length of a football field in that time.
The question becomes -- do we need 'text-stop check-stops'?
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BOOZE NEWS:
Alberta RCMP are stepping up efforts to combat impaired driving on our roads.
In a national survey conducted by Transport Canada, it was determined that 3% of drivers on the road between late night and early morning hours, Thursday through Sunday, were impaired. These offenders account for 33% of traffic fatalities among drivers every year.
From 2003-2007, on average, each year over 115 people were killed and nearly 1,920 injured in collisions involving a driver who had consumed alcohol prior to the crash.
ALBERTA IMPAIRED DRIVING STATS:
On average, approximately 7,700 people are convicted of impaired driving in Alberta each year.
On average, approximately 8,300 24-hour driving disqualifications are issued each year.
According to statistics, males between 18 and 24 years of age are most likely to have been drinking before the crash. Also, male drivers are much more likely to have consumed alcohol prior to a collision compared to female drivers.
On average in Alberta, one in five drivers involved in fatal collisions have been drinking prior to the collision. This compares to an average of about one in 20 drivers involved in injury collisions.
As the severity of the collision increases, so does the likelihood that the collision will involve a drinking driver.
NATIONAL IMPAIRED DRIVING STATISTICS:
Impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death in Canada. Alcohol is involved in nearly 40% of all motor vehicle fatalities in Canada.
One in every 33 drivers on Canadian roads at night is impaired.
Statistics also indicate that impaired drivers are less likely to be wearing their seatbelts.
Young drivers under the age of 19 are 251 times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision with a blood alcohol concentration in excess of 150 milligrams. According to Transport Canada, drivers with a high blood alcohol concentration over 170 milligrams percent represent 64 % of nighttime fatal crashes.
Persons with a blood alcohol reading in excess of 170 milligrams percent are 461 times more likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle collision.
Warmer weather months (June to August) experience the highest number of casualty collisions involving alcohol.
The most casualty collisions involving alcohol occur on the weekends.
The most likely time period for these collisions, on any day of the week, is between 11 PM and 3 AM.
Drinking and driving collisions are often associated with long weekends.
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2010 ROADWORK:
The City says that a number of major projects will continue this year, but they should all improve flow in the long run.
Foremost is the beginning of construction on the West leg of the LRT which will disrupt any number of roads along the line as work progresses throughout the year, and beyond. The route heads west down 7th Avenue and runs along to Bow Trail between downtown and the Westbrook Mall at 33rd Avenue, then heads underground and diagnols to re-emerge at 17th Avenue & 37th Street, then continues west along 17th thru to 73rd Street.
Work will begin on a one-lane addition to southbound Deerfoot Trail between Beddington Trail and 64th Avenue NE. This $9 million road-widening project will give motorists more room between the Beddington Trail and 64th Avenue interchanges and reduce weaving problems.
Construction will be completed later this year.
Further down the road, plans call for improvements to the Deerfoot interchanges at Glenmore Trail SE, and 32nd Avenue NE.
Meanwhile, the feds & the province have announced a joint project to repave the SB lanes of Deerfoot Trail from the city limits thru to McKnight Blvd, in the summer and fall of this year. The two governments will pump nearly $13-million bucks into the roadwork, which will smooth the ride, improve safety, and extend the life of the road surface. However, that will lead to some extensive detours when that kicks in.
As well, in late January the province announced it's dedicating $15 Million to resurface Deerfoot Trail in the SE, between the Ivor Strong Bridge & 17th Avenue. That work is expected to be finished in the spring of 2011.
And, while most of the work along the 16th Avenue North Urban Corridor has been completed, once spring arrives there will be some final touches put on that project, including landscaping along WB 16th between 6th Street NE & Centre Street.
Traffic signals will go in at 16th & 5th NE, while some business tie-ins, sidewalk connections and paving will also go in on WB 16th from 6th to 4th Streets NE.
Also in 2010, the widening of 52nd Street between Glenmore Trail & 130th Avenue SE continues.. as does interchange work at Sarcee Trail & 17th Avenue SW, Metis Trail & 64th Avenue NE, and Beddington Trail & Country Hills Blvd NW.
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HIGHWAYS:
Just north of the city, a new ramp is open south of the the Balzac Highway overpass, connecting the QE2 Highway / Deerfoot Trail, into Cross Iron Mills.
In Banff National Park, roadwork is underway on the twinning of the Trans Canada Highway between Castle Junction and Lake Louise. Most areas are slowed to 70 km/h, with a few sections down to 50 km/h.
Drivers can expect detours and road closures near the junction of the Queen Elizabeth 2 Highway and Yankee Valley Boulevard in Airdrie.
Here's an overview of what's going on in that area:
Construction is underway for a major upgrade of the interchange connecting Queen Elizabeth II Highway to Yankee Valley Boulevard in Airdrie.
The project includes construction of new bridges to carry the Queen Elizabeth II Highway over Yankee Valley Boulevard (formerly known as Big Hill Springs Road), new entrance and exit ramps, upgrades to nearby storm water sewers, widening existing bridge structure, improved street lighting, and widening the bridge that carries Yankee Valley Boulevard over Nose Creek.
Yankee Valley Boulevard will also be widened to six lanes from the existing two lanes, both east and west of Queen Elizabeth II Highway.
The project won't wrap up til sometime this fall.
On the Trans Canada highway in BC, construction 16 kms east of Golden has wrapped for the winter, but there are still detours and some lane re-alignments in place.
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