Deerfoot Trail is a major north/south freeway through the City of Calgary, which currently terminates at the south end at Highway 22X. Alberta Transportation and the City of Calgary agreed to extend Deerfoot Trail to provide a more direct connection to Highway 2 and points south, at an estimated cost of $120 M. The City agreed to manage approximately the north half of the project, which fell within the City limits. The remainder, from the Bow River south, fell within Alberta Transportation's jurisdiction, and is the subject of this paper. This project includes the following elements: Deerfoot Trail designed to ultimate 6-lane divided freeway standard; New bridges across the Bow River at an environmentally sensitive location (one of the six best trout fishing rivers in North America); New interchange at Dunbow Road; New flyover "Fork" connection to existing Highway 2; Modifications to existing Highway 2/2A Interchange, including 2-lane loop ramp; Relocation of Pine Creek with new SPCSP crossing under Deerfoot embankment; 4 m x 7 m x 75 m Wildlife underpass and wildlife fencing from Bow River to south of Dunbow Road; Completion of right-of-way acquisition; All environmental work including permitting, mitigation, and monitoring; Comprehensive public participation program. Previous to this project, Alberta Transportation would normally have split it into smaller sections, and assigned to individual consulting firms. Recognising that this was a unique project, Alberta Transportation elected to solicit consultant teams to undertake the entire project, including engineering, environmental, and public participation.
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