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Thousands of Calgarians’ commutes into the downtown will be impacted starting this week, as work gets underway on the city’s $12.5-million rehabilitation of the 4th Avenue flyover.
Single lane closures during off-peak hours will be in effect from Wednesday through Friday, according to a city news release, allowing crews to conduct pre-construction site surveys.
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The bridge will then be completely closed to traffic, weather-dependent, from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, as crews continue to prepare for construction.
Starting April 8, traffic across the bridge will be reduced to a single lane until the fall of 2025 — apart from a 10-day stretch during the Calgary Stampede, when both lanes will be opened to vehicles.
Work will include rebuilding concrete barriers, adding streetlighting, replacing the existing concrete paving overlay with a polymer modified asphalt overlay, replacing the existing expansion joints and other concrete repairs across the structure.
The upgrades are necessary to extend the 42-year-old infrastructure’s practical service life for another 35 years, the city said, as recent inspections showed parts of the flyover are deteriorating due to age.
Built in 1982, the flyover is Calgary’s longest bridge structure, according to the city, and acts as a critical link for motorists to get across the Bow River from westbound Memorial Drive onto Fourth Avenue S.E.
“The Fourth Avenue Flyover is a very important structure as it’s used by many Calgarians and visitors to commute into downtown,” said Max Lacroix, project manager and senior structural engineer, in the news release.
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“We understand this work may be impactful to those traveling in the area, local residents and businesses and we thank all Calgarians and visitors for their patience as we carry out this important rehabilitation.”
Throughout the full closure this weekend, westbound motorists on Memorial Drive will be able to enter the downtown via the Reconciliation Bridge.
Emergency services and transit access will be maintained over the flyover for the duration of the project, except during the full closures, when detour routes will be in effect.
The city cautioned there may be additional lane closures in effect throughout the project on underpass roads for overhead work, but that these closures would be temporary and scheduled during off-peak hours.
“We know that construction can be disruptive and make travel through the area more challenging,” the city said in its news release.
“When traveling downtown, Calgarians should plan for and expect delays and traffic congestion due to reduced lanes, lower speed limits and detours. Commuters are advised to allow extra travel time and use alternate routes and modes of transportation or carpool when possible.”
While rare, closures of the 4th Avenue flyover are not unprecedented.
The flyover was closed to traffic as recently as last Thursday, when Calgary police and emergency personnel worked to resolve what was described as “a mental health crisis,” after a man had climbed to the top of the Reconciliation Bridge and stayed there for nearly 24 hours.
Prior to that, the flyover was completely blocked off to traffic for three days in October 2021 to accommodate filming for the HBO series, The Last of Us.
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