Crowchild Trail proposals include building a tunnel

The ongoing saga of what to do with Crowchild Trail near the Bow River now has another chapter, including a proposal to build a tunnel from Kensington Roadto University DriveN.W.

• See the plans for the Crowchild Trail tunnel

"The public kept on asking for us to test the underground idea, and it may seem pie in the skyand it certainly did initially but when administration reviewed it, it is quite a viable option," said Coun. Druh Farrell.

The tunnel is just one proposal for improving traffic on the roadway, from 17th Avenue in the south,north to 24th Avenue.

• CrowchildTrail study from 1978 highlights road's lack of progress

Open minded

A previous city plan for alleviating congestion in 2012 involved interchanges, a new bridge and gobbling up nearby properties. That planwas met with opposition from area residents and was rejected by city council, sending administrationback to the drawing board.

Farrell said the city is doing a better job this time around, listening to any and all ideas.

"We've been truly open minded with this project," she said.

If the tunnel were to happen, the street above would be narrowed and turned into a residential roadway.

Lynn Pearce sits on the board of the non-profitTen Thousand Villages, which has a store on Crowchildin the affected area.

She said she understands something needs to be done, but she doesn't support going underground.

"I think they would probably have to take our land. Well I would assume we'd relocate, that's not what we'd like to do," she said.

Long-term benefits

Farrell said there are benefits to tunneling, even though it is a pricey option.

"Certainly the tunnel is great for easing congestion, so it would be clear throughtraffic without any lights. It would eliminate the need for interchanges," she said.

"And if you look at the long-term cost benefit it is certainly more costly, there's no question about that, but the long-term benefit is there's more land available for redevelopment at the end fo the day."

There is no price tag attached to the tunnel proposal at this point, but the city is already collecting feedback online for all Crowchild plans. Open houses to hear from the public start on June 13.

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