Airport Trail extension ahead of schedule, Calgary mayor says

Work to extend Airport Trail is well ahead of schedule, with a key piece of the new roadway set to open next month instead at the end of 2022, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi says.

Joined on Thursday for an update on the project by federal, city and Calgary International Airport officials, the mayor said Airport Trail was always meant to be a connector from Stoney Trail to Deerfoot Trail and all the way to Harvest Hills Boulevard.

"Today, what we're announcing is that it's finally going to be done. And, in fact, the best part is that that connection between 36th Street and Métis Trail — which we did not expect to finish until the end of next year at the earliest — will actually be done next month," he said.

The eastern portion of the new 2.4-kilometre stretch of Airport Trail from Métis Trail to 60th Street was completed in 2019 and opened at the end of that year, said the city's director of transportation infrastructure, Kerensa Fromherz.

Other key pieces of the $153-million project are either complete or near completion, said Fromherz.

The construction of two interchanges on Airport Trail at 19th Street and at Barlow Trail are underway and will open next fall.

And a southbound to westbound ramp from Stoney Trail to Airport Trail was finished and opened last October.

"Establishing this corridor improves connectivity for communities and businesses, it supports ongoing development, and it provides for greater accessibility in and around the Calgary airport," said Fromherz.