S.E. ring road to open Oct. 1

After three years of construction, the provincial government says the southeast ring road will open to traffic on Oct. 1.

Ald. Shane Keating says local residents will be happy construction is finally over, but he doesn't expect the opening of Stoney Trail will change the drive for most commuters on traffic-laden Deerfoot Trail.

"They're going on Deerfoot because they have to go to the centre or to the far northwest and there is no other way at this point," he said.

"There will be a little bit of headache removal, but the headache is still going to be there."

The 25-kilometre long section of the ring road will run from 17th Avenue southeast to new interchanges at Highway 22x, bringing the ring road to 70 per cent of completion.

The southeast leg, which is being built through a public-private partnership, is on time and on budget, according to the province.

Plans for the southwest portion of the ring roadwhich would go through Tsuu Tina territory at the western edge of Calgary have been held up while the province tries to negotiate an agreement with the First Nation.

"There's only done and not done. And currently we're in the not done condition," said Transportation Minister Ric McIver last month when describing the negotiations.