Province confirms $1.5B commitment to Calgary's Green Line LRT, says transportation minister

The provincial government has completed a review into Calgary's Green Line LRT project, Alberta's transportation minister saidFriday, and will maintain its $1.5-billion commitment to the project.

However, RicMcIverwrote in a letter posted to his Facebook page that the review did turn up a number of concerns.

"[Concerns revolve] particularly around estimated costs, contingencies, governance structureand the overall procurement strategy," McIver wrote.

"We've asked the city to work with the province to ensure the project team properly manages risk."

Read Ric McIver'sOct. 9letter to Naheed Nenshi in the Facebook post below:

Calgary council approved the$5.5-billion megaprojectin June.

Construction could start as early as next spring, and the city is now taking bids from companies interested in building the southeast leg of the project.

Speaking Friday, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshisaid the city had worked on the Green Line project for the past 10 years, spending the past two hiring the "very best experts in the worldto bulletproof' city plans.

• Calgary council votes to build the $5.5B Green Line

"So we've got lots of answers to their questions," Nenshi said. "But ultimately, this is a three-partner agreement. So of course we want to work together with them instead of just throwing things back and forth over the fence, to make sure that we're all very comfortable.

"We've very comfortable with our numbers, but we're also very open to looking at any new ideas they come up with."

WATCH | Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi responds to provincial government's Green Line LRT review.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi responds to Green Line review

4 years ago

Duration 0:52

Speaking Friday, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi responded to the government's review of the Green Line LRT project, saying the city would work with the province and the federal government.

In June,McIver wrote in a letter to Nenshiindicatingthat while he supports the project,the province would need to take a lookat the plan before it gives the city the money itpledged for the project.

• Alberta's transportation minister hints province could withhold Green Line money

Stage 1 of the Green Line is anticipated to be constructed in three segments, which will run from16th Avenue Northto Shepard in the southeast,

• Segment 1:Elbow River to Shepard.
• Segment 2A: SecondAvenue S.W.station to Elbow River.
• Segment 2B: 16th Avenue N. to north of SecondAvenue S.W.station.

The first stage of the project, which is anticipated to open as soon as 2026, is expected to serve 65,000 customers daily and save an expected 30,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Take a look at the revised Green Line map below:

With files from Scott Dippel and Sarah Rieger