17th Avenue to close from 14th Street to 12th Street S.W. until mid-summer for major overhaul

Crews working to overhaul 17th Avenue southwest will start on the section from 12th Street to 14th Street right after the May long weekend.

Starting at 5 a.m. on May 21, the city says 17th Avenue will be closed to traffic on that two-block stretch, including the intersection at 12th Street.

Since 2017, crews have been working to upgrade the sidewalks and replace the underground utilities along the avenue including power, gas, telecommunications, water, and sanitary and then upgrade the roadway and streetscape from Macleod Trail to 14th Street S.W.

At the start of May, crews dug up the stretch between Ninth Street and 10A Street. That section isn't scheduled to reopen for another 10 weeks.

Work on the section from 12th Street to 14th Street is expected to last 10 weeks.

In the final stages of construction, crews plan to return eastward and close the section from 10th Street to 12th Street S.W. That work is expected to take 10 weeks.

To help maintain access to the shops and restaurants on 17th Avenue during construction, one-way traffic on 14th Avenue and 15th Avenue has been extended to 12th Street S.W.

Sixteenth Avenue between 10th Street and 14th Street S.W. has been converted to a two-way route.

All sidewalks will remain open during construction.

The city says the $44-million project is already more than 65 per cent complete.

Detour routes will be in effect for Calgary Transit routes 2, 6and 7.