Calgary’s mayor has extended an invitation to provincial officials for a walking tour of the proposed alignment for the Green Line LRT through the downtown core.
In a letter sent to Premier Danielle Smith and Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said there “appears to be a gap in communication” between the provincial government and businesses along the alignment.
A walking tour would “bridge this communication gap and foster a mutual understanding of the project’s impact and benefits,” according to Gondek in her letter.
“This will be an opportunity to see the alignment firsthand, discuss the project details, and engage directly with business owners who are keen to share their thoughts and concerns,” Gondek said.
The mayor said the invite also extends to provincial MLAs who represent Calgary and city council as a whole.
Last week, Calgary city council approved a plan for the $6.2 billion Green Line LRT after months of discussions with the provincial government.
The new plan would allow construction to begin on the southern leg of the project between Victoria Park and Shepard this year, with a commitment to conduct a two-year functional study on the province’s preferred path through the downtown core.
That preferred path is an elevated alignment above 10 Avenue, travelling north up 2 Street S.W., and terminating above 7 Avenue, stopping short of Eau Claire.
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The province contracted engineering firm AECOM to come up with the alignment, which was released publicly in December.
Prior to that report’s release, Dreeshen noted the province would pull its $1.53 billion in funding unless the city approved an elevated alignment downtown, due to concerns within the provincial government about tunnelling under the core, which was included in previous versions of the LRT line’s alignment.
Gondek, who voted against the plan for a downtown alignment, said she has been touring the route and speaking with businesses.
“Our businesses and residents have expressed significant concerns about how an elevated line could fundamentally change the landscape of our downtown,” Gondek told reporters Tuesday. “From altering the character of our public spaces to affecting the safety and flow of traffic to the economic and social well-being of building tenants, these are issues we cannot ignore.”
Many businesses along the route which have spoken to Global News have said there has been no engagement on an elevated Green Line through the downtown core to date.
Several business groups have also expressed concerns about the impacts an elevated alignment could have on property values and public safety in the core.
“It feels a little bit like Groundhog Day and deja-vu because we have done this before,” Gondek said. “I think we need to pull out the reports we’ve already done that said elevated won’t work and put them in front of the province again.”
City council was given an update Tuesday about ongoing work on a new business case for the project, which will be submitted to the province and the federal government next week.
Global News has reached out to the Premier’s office for comment and will update this story once a response is received.
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