We have now completed the final phase of engagement for the Northeast Stoney Crossing Study. The What We Heard report from Phase 3 is available to download.

Click here to watch a short video about the recommended concept.

Priorities, identified through the first two phases of engagement, along with The City’s policy framework and technical guidelines, were used to evaluate each of the proposed concepts. Based on this evaluation, The City will be proceeding with concept 3, which includes:

80 Avenue N.E.

-Single lane crossing providing access for:

• Emergency services (Fire, EMS and Police)
• Transit
• Active modes (pedestrians and cyclist)

64 Avenue N.E.

-Four-lane crossing providing access for:

• Public traffic
• Emergency services (Fire, EMS and Police)
• Transit
• Active modes (pedestrians and cyclists)

80 Avenue N.E. Flyover

Accommodates: Emergency services (Fire, EMS and Police), Transit, Active modes (pedestrians and cyclists)

Does not accommodate: Public motor vehicles

64 Avenue N.E. Flyover

Accommodates: Emergency services (Fire, EMS and Police), Transit, Active modes (pedestrians and cyclists), Public motor vehicles

Addressing What We Heard

The following summarizes how the key themes from Phase 2 Engagement “What We Heard” are being addressed with the recommended concept - Concept 3.

Key Theme	What We Did
Safety and Traffic	Concept 3 does not allow public traffic on the flyover and therefore does not increase traffic volumes on 80 Avenue N.E. (except for emergency vehicles and transit).
Impact on surrounding properties	There is no direct impact on surrounding properties. However, in the coming months we will work with residents to enhance the design of 80 Avenue streetscape. Additional signage and controls might be added to improve the future traffic operations.
Impacts on Green Space	The 64 Avenue N.E. flyover will not encroach into the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Park and opportunities to reduce the visual impact of the flyover will be explored. The off-leash dog park was intended to be temporary and to be removed when 64 Avenue N.E. is extended in the future. Opportunities for relocation will be explored.
Connectivity	The recommended concept provides flyovers at both 80 Avenue and 64 Avenue N.E., which accommodates all modes, with the exception of public traffic on 80 Avenue N.E.
Costs	Value Engineering will be conducted to minimize construction costs. The proposed design for the 80 Avenue N.E. flyover is within the budgeted construction cost.

Timing of Flyover Construction

80 AVENUE N.E. (SHORT-TERM)

• Needed in the short-term in order to provide adequate emergency services to areas east of Stoney Trail.
• The detailed design of the flyover is beginning and construction is expected to start in 2022 with a targeted completion of fall 2023.

64 AVENUE N.E. (LONG-TERM)

• Long-term improvement with ongoing conversations between The City of Calgary and Alberta Transportation.
• To be implemented in two stages based on demand:
  • First stage: Two-lane bridge (with multi-use pathway) would be constructed.
  • Second stage: Additional two-lane bridge (with multi-use pathway) would be added.
• The flyover is not currently funded or in The City’s 10-year plan.

Supporting Improvements

With the type/timing of the flyovers known, the rest of the corridors were reviewed to identify any supporting improvements (e.g. pedestrian crossings or intersection improvements) that would be beneficial.

80 AVENUE N.E.

• The recommended 80 Avenue N.E. flyover does not accommodate public vehicular traffic. Therefore, no additional traffic will be attracted to the 80 Avenue N.E. corridor other than neighbourhood growth in the area. The detailed design of the flyover is beginning and construction is expected to start in 2022.
• Emergency service and transit traffic will increase slightly as the flyover will be used to provide access to Homestead. These volumes are expected to be minimal.
• A summary of the recommended improvements can be found in the drawing here.

64 AVENUE N.E.

• The addition of the 64 Avenue N.E. flyover will add additional traffic to the existing 64 Avenue N.E. corridor.
• The existing 64 Avenue N.E. corridor was designed with the future flyover and volumes in mind and has capacity to accommodate it.
• A summary of the supporting improvements can be found in the drawing here.

Study Purpose:

The overall intent of this study is to examine the feasibility of a flyover over Stoney Trail at 80 Avenue N.E. and 64 Avenue N.E. and to determine the preferred network connection(s) for the area. Key goals are to:

• Investigate the feasibility of different flyover options at 80 Avenue N.E. and 64 Avenue N.E.
• Determine which flyover option(s) are preferred and how they will integrate with the surround transportation network.
• In the short-term, advance the design of an 80 Avenue N.E. flyover that will provide fire and emergency access.

Study Area:

Study Background - 80 Avenue N.E.

In 2018, City Council approved the East Stoney Area Structure Plan (ASP), which included plans for an overpass across Stoney Trail at 80 Avenue N.E.. The primary purpose of the proposed overpass was to reduce fire service response times from Station 32 to the East Stoney Area and the overpass was considered a requirement for area development to proceed. It was proposed that the overpass would also accommodate transit service, pedestrians, and cyclists. Following the approval of the ASP, some members of Council expressed interest in the potential for the overpass to also accommodate general purpose traffic. The 80 Avenue N.E. overpass will not provide direct connections to or from Stoney Trail.

Why a flyover is required at 80 Avenue N.E.?

A flyover at 80 Avenue N.E. is required in all concepts. The flyover is required to provide the 7-minute emergency response time for the Calgary Fire Department approved by Council to the future development east of Stoney Trail. This development area is not large enough to support the capital and operating costs required for a stand-alone emergency response station. Therefore, the proposed solution was a crossing of Stoney Trail at 80 Avenue N.E. that would be partially funded by the developer. Several different response routes were tested by Calgary Fire Department, but only the 80 Avenue N.E. flyover met the required response time.

Study Background - 64 Avenue N.E.

The 64 Avenue N.E. corridor was built as a major street through the communities of Coral Springs and Taradale. Future plans for the roadway included extending the road to the east and the construction of an interchange at Stoney Trail.

However, with changes to the minimum distance required between interchanges on Stoney Trail, according to Alberta Transportation design standards, connections to and from Stoney Trail were no longer accommodated at 64 Avenue N.E. As a result, 64 Avenue N.E. was designated to fly over Stoney Trail in Alberta Transportation’s 2007 East Stoney Functional Planning Study. The proposed flyover at 64 Avenue N.E. has been adopted into The City’s long-range plans and has been included as part of the Calgary Transportation Plan.

The project team will be investigating if potential connection options to/from Stoney Trail are feasible as the project progresses.

Project Timelines:

Project Priorities:

Based on “What We Heard” through the initial public engagement phase in March 2020, a number of community priorities were identified. These priorities, along with The City’s policy framework and technical guidelines, were used to assess the relative merits of trade-offs of each proposed concept.

From Sept. 28 - Oct. 16, 2020, The City of Calgary had online public engagement and on October 7, 2020, held a live presentation, to gather feedback from Calgarians on three different crossing concepts. The concepts presented included:

Phase 2 Engagement - What We Heard

The following summarizes how the key themes from “What We Heard” and the full What We Heard Report can be found HERE.

Key Theme	Feedback Received
SAFETY AND TRAFFIC	Concerns regarding additional traffic on 80 Avenue N.E.
IMPACT ON SURROUNDING PROPERTIES	Concerns that the 80 Avenue N.E. flyover will have an on surrounding properties.
IMPACTS ON GREEN SPACE	Concerns that the 64 Avenue N.E. flyover could impact Manmeet Singh Bhullar Park and off-leash dog park.
CONNECTIVITY	The desire to have good connectivity between communities and amenities.
COSTS	A desire to keep costs low.

Phase 2 Technical Evaluation

CONCEPTS 1 + 2	Attract a high volume of additional traffic onto 80 Avenue N.E which reduces the comfort and safety for people walking and cycling as well as increases the travel time for people driving along the corridor. As such, they are both rated poorly for traffic operations, safety and community impacts.
CONCEPT 1	Least expensive concept because only one flyover would be built.
CONCEPT 2	Optimal network and community connectivity between the communities east and west of Stoney Trail and the city transportation network as it provides two flyover choices for people driving and connects to other arterial roadways.
CONCEPT 3	Optimal for traffic operations with the all mode flyover at 64 Avenue N.E and has the least impact on the community as well as providing good network connectivity.

Concept Evaluation

64 Avenue N.E. / Tarington Road Intersection

As noted in the 64 Avenue N.E. drawing, when the 64 Avenue N.E. flyover is constructed, the existing intersection at Tarington Road will need to be signalized and an east leg added.This poses some challenges as outlined below:

To mitigate these challenges, four intersection options have been developed.

We are looking for your feedback on the four intersection options.

This option is the existing intersection with the addition of the east leg.

Benefits •Existing turning movements are accommodated

Trade-Offs •Southbound queue will block Tarington Link intersection during peak periods.

With the benefits and trade-offs in mind please provide feedback on Intersection Option #1:

This option closes the median at Tarington Link / Park to restrict left turns.

Benefits •Mitigates collision risk at Tarington Link / Park intersection •Southbound left-turns onto 64 Avenue N.E. are accommodated

Trade-Offs •No northbound connectivity to Tarington Link •No through movements between Tarington Link & Tarrington Park •Will re-route some traffic within the community

With the benefits and trade-offs in mind please provide feedback on Intersection Option #2:

This option removes southbound left-turns to reduce the southbound queue.

Benefits •Existing turning movements are accommodated •Lower risk of southbound queue blocking at Tarington Link / Tarington Park •Lower risk of conflicts at Tarington Link intersection compared to Option #1

Trade-Offs •Southbound left-turn not accommodated •Potential conflicts at Tarington Link intersection

With the benefits and trade-offs in mind please provide feedback on Intersection Option #3:

This option adds the Tarington Link to the signalized intersection and each approach is provided its own phase to turn without conflict.

Benefits •Mitigates collision risk at Tarington Link intersection •Southbound left-turns onto 64 Avenue N.E. are accommodated

Trade-Offs •Complex intersection design could be confusing for users •Not pedestrian / bicycle friendly

With the benefits and trade-offs in mind please provide feedback on Intersection Option #4:

Engagement:

• At the completion of this phase of engagement, a What We Heard Report will be posted here.
• Construction updates for the 80 Avenue N.E. flyover will be shared on the project website.

Technical:

• The functional planning report, documenting the study process, analysis, and recommendations will be completed in the summer of 2021.
• The 80 Avenue N.E. flyover is progressing into design. Construction of the flyover is anticipated to commence in spring 2022 with completion in fall of 2023.
• Conversations between The City of Calgary and Alberta Transportation regarding the design and timing of the 64 Avenue N.E. flyover are ongoing.