Macleod Trail Corridor Study
Transportation Planning is conducting a long-term transportation corridor study for Macleod Trail from 25 Avenue S. to Anderson Road (see map).
Purpose
The long-term Macleod Trail Corridor Study will:
- Ensure plans for the Macleod Trail aligns with the Calgary Transportation Plan, which classifies this section of Macleod Trail as an Urban Boulevard, and a primary transit, cycling and primary high occupancy vehicle (HOV) route.
- Identify transportation requirements along the corridor to support the Municipal Development Plan, which envisions the adjacent land use to intensify into an Urban Corridor with retail, office, mixed-use and residential uses.
- Consider community access, walking, cycling, transit, roadway operations and safety along this section of Macleod Trail.
Corridor studies are typically completed 10 to 30 years in advance of construction to identify issues such as how much room is needed and to determine upgrades to existing roadways. Further study is typically required before the corridor plan is implemented.
There is currently no funding available to implement recommendations from the corridor study. The corridor study will allow The City to better evaluate transportation priorities when developing future Transportation Infrastructure Investment Plan (TIIP).
Public engagement
On October 25, 2012, more than 150 people attended an open house at Chinook Centre to see the recommended plans for a future Macleod Trail corridor.
We shared what we heard from citizens through the project's previous engagement opportunities and how input from more than 3,000 citizens, business owners and travellers, gathered from an online survey in May and two public open houses in June to share the preliminary design concepts, was incorporated into the recommended plans.
We also spoke with citizens about the vision of Macleod Trail developing into an Urban Boulevard in the future, and how the recommended plans help to support that vision and Council's direction through the Calgary Transportation Plan and Municipal Development Plan.
Next steps
The Macleod Trail Corridor Study was presented to the SPC on Transportation and Transit on October 10, 2014 and May 20, 2015. Updated recommendations were approved by Council on June 15, 2015.
Approval of the updated recommendations included direction for Administration to bring forward a follow-up report which investigates alternative design solutions which provide necessary traffic capacity to support redevelopment in the vicinity while improving pedestrian access and safety, along with reducing or eliminating conflicts with the Light Rail Transit (LRT), and to return to the SPC on Transportation and Transit no later than Q2 2016 with design recommendations and potential amendments to the land protection at 25 Avenue S.