Ramp closure from Memorial Drive onto southbound Crowchild Trail snarls traffic
Drivers who take the exit ramp from eastbound Memorial Drive/Parkdale Boulevard onto southbound Crowfoot Trail in Calgary, take note — it will be closed until 6 a.m. Friday as part of ongoing work.
Instead, motorists are advised to access southbound Crowchild Trail by using Kensington Road N.W.
The ramp from southbound Crowchild Trail onto 10th Avenue S.W. will also be closed nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. until Saturday to allow for construction. Drivers are advised to instead use the Bow Trail exit.
Some lanes have also been realigned along northbound Crowchild Trail.
The city says it is taking advantage of the milder forecast to do a final concrete pour on the bridge this year. This will make the bridge lanes wider and straighter throughout the winter, it says.
The impromptu closure seemed to catch many commuters by surprise. During evening rush hour Wednesday, traffic heading east on Memorial was backed up for blocks west of crowchild and to the east, all the way to Mewata Bridge at 14th Street and beyond.
Vehicles crept along at 10 km/h in areas zoned for 50, taking 15 minutes to travel a distance that would normally take under five.
There's still a year to go on the $87-million project, which will give the bridges over Memorial Drive, the Bow River and Bow Trail some much-needed lifecycle maintenance.
The busy roadway carrying motorists over the Bow River was built in the 1960s and traffic volumes have increased greatly over the past half century — so much so that the river crossing can no longer accommodate the volume of vehicles.
The project is adding an extra lane to northbound and southbound Crowchild Trail between Memorial Drive and Bow Trail.
In total, there are 12 improvements to Crowchild Trail and the surrounding roads, as well as nearby pathways.
The Bow River pathway is scheduled to be closed along the north side of the river from 16th Street N.W. to 29th Street N.W. until the end of November to allow for improved drainage and riparian work.
