Deerfoot Trail Study December 2020 Contents Background and Fast Facts ...............................................04 Study Goals, Objectives and Outcomes .......................06 Study Phases and Timeline ...............................................08 Identifying Challenges .......................................................12 What We Heard, What We Did ..........................................14 Developing Improvement Options................................18 Option Packages ...................................................................20 Option Evaluation ................................................................32 Recommended Improvements .......................................36 A Phased Approach for Implementation .....................44 Next Steps ...............................................................................52 2 The City of Calgary & Alberta Transportation | Deerfoot Trail Study Introduction The City of Calgary and Alberta Transportation In addition to describing the recommended are pleased to present the final recommendations improvements to the Deerfoot Trail corridor, this of the Deerfoot Trail Study. document provides a general overview of the study The principal role of the Deerfoot Trail within The process which involved a comprehensive technical City of Calgary is to provide an efficient, reliable, and program and multiple engagement events with safe connection for motor vehicle traffic and goods key stakeholders and city residents. movement within, to, and from the city. These key activities and analysis applied during The purpose of the Deerfoot Trail Study is to review the final phase of the study have led to the key and develop short-, medium- and long-term recommendations and priorities. recommendations to enhance safety and mobility for all users, and improve and optimize overall operations “ The study outcome throughout the corridor and adjacent network. The study outcome is a long-term corridor plan is a long-term corridor for Deerfoot Trail that describes the recommended improvements to Deerfoot Trail to address current plan for Deerfoot and future traffic needs. This is done by improving Trail that describes safety, mobility, and accessibility for all transportation modes though innovative traffic demand management the recommended techniques, targeted infrastructure improvements, and the expansion of various technology applications. improvements to The recommendations for the long-term corridor Deerfoot Trail to address plan are consistent with The City of Calgary’s Transportation Plan. current and future traffic needs.” The City of Calgary & Alberta Transportation | Deerfoot Trail Study 3 Background and Fast Facts The long-term Deerfoot Corridor Study: Fast facts about Deerfoot Trail: • Is a joint initiative between The City of Calgary • In Calgary, Deerfoot Trail is part of the Primary and Alberta Transportation. Goods Movement network and is classified as a • Reviews Deerfoot Trail between Stoney Trail North skeletal road in the Calgary Transportation Plan. and Stoney Trail South. Skeletal roads are generally designed to move large volumes of traffic over long distances. • Covers approximately 35 kilometres of urban freeway. • The average daily traffic ranges from 83,000 vehicles per day at the south end of the corridor • Includes 18 existing interchanges and one to approximately 170,000 vehicles per day north future interchange at 128 Street S.E. of Memorial Drive. • Looks at increasing capacity, reducing travel times • Deerfoot Trail is the only route, other than and improving safety along the corridor. Stoney Trail, providing a continuous north-south • Plans for 30 years into the future to determine the connection across the city and the only north-south amount of space (i.e. right-of-way) that may be skeletal road serving central and east Calgary. required to accommodate all transportation needs including new connections, increased capacity, and active transportation improvements. Deerfoot Trail is part of the • Identifies multiple improvements throughout Primary Goods Movement the corridor and recommends a potential phased network and is classified as a approach including some short-, medium- and long-term improvements. skeletal road in the Calgary Transportation Plan. 4 The City of Calgary & Alberta Transportation | Deerfoot Trail Study 170,000 N vehicles per NW 35 km day north end of urban freeway Calgary International Airport NE 30-year City Centre plan for SW the future +1 Ogden 18 Rail Yard existing interchanges SE and one future Fish Creek Provincial Park 83,000 vehicles per day south end • Increasing capacity • Reducing travel times • Improving safety along the corridor The City of Calgary & Alberta Transportation | Deerfoot Trail Study 5 Study Goals, Objectives and Outcomes 6 The City of Calgary & Alberta Transportation | Deerfoot Trail Study The Study Goals Outcomes • Improve freeway operations and safety The goals and objectives of the study were met, on Deerfoot Trail. with a development of long-term corridor plan that • Improve air quality and reducing vehicular will form the basis for the short-term and medium- emissions as part of The City’s goal to reduce term improvements. greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the time An implementation strategy (outlined in section 11) needed to travel to and within the corridor. lays out the priorities through the short and medium terms to ultimately achieve the overall The Study Objectives recommendations associated with the long-term • Develop potential improvements to preserve and corridor plan. enhance highway operations. It should be noted that many of the recommended • Recommend safety and mobility improvements improvement options will be further refined and may for people who drive and take transit. change when they are advanced to subsequent • Develop an effective implementation strategy design phases. for the short-, medium- and long-term needs of the corridor. • Engage the public, community groups, and stakeholders to identify users and demands for the corridor, and build a range of potential solutions. Recommend safety and mobility improvements for people who drive and take transit. — STUDY OBJECTIVE The City of Calgary & Alberta Transportation | Deerfoot Trail Study 7 Study Phases and Timeline The study was conducted over five phases as shown in the figure below. The information presented in this discussion guide represent the outcomes of Phase 4 and the final activities under Phase 5. Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Existing and Problem Definition Option Option Evaluation Reporting Historical Conditions • Define existing and Generation and Refinement • Final • Develop overall future problems and • Develop concepts • Evaluation of recommendation framework for the deficiencies at key interchange options • Option refinement study delivery locations and • Information • Implementation The final phase is an • Establish study corridor options to support a strategy context • Preliminary option preferred corridor implementation strategy • Collect relevant performance recommendation data assessment to determine the priority of the components of the long-term plan. 8 The City of Calgary & Alberta Transportation | Deerfoot Trail Study The key elements of each phase are described as follows: Phase 1: Phase 2: Phase 3: Phase 4: Phase 5: Existing and Problem Definition Option Option Evaluation Report Generation and Refinement Historical Conditions This phase involved extensive This final phase of the This phase involved developing analysis to identify issues This phase involved developing This phase involved study involved documenting various mitigation measures evaluating the options. the findings from Phase 4. the overall framework for the within the corridor for both the to address the corridor Key activities of this Key activities of this study delivery including the existing and future planning deficiencies identified in the phase included: phase included: planned activities and schedule horizon. Key activities of this previous study phase. Key • Developing the evaluation • Value engineering to for each phase. Key activities phase included: activities of this phase included: framework to match the identify refinements to the of this phase included: • Review of existing • Developing the “tool study objectives and recommended long-term • Research to understand corridor conditions box” of potential corridor corridor context corridor plan improvements and the study context • Future traffic • Detailed analysis of each • Developing an formation of corridor option package implementation strategy • Data collection demand forecasts for applicable strategies to determine the priority the established 2048 • Refining options through • Stakeholder and public • Assessing the corridor of the various components planning horizon feedback from the initial engagement strategies and the of the long-term corridor evaluation analysis • Safety analysis of historical development of key plan for potential phased collision data concepts based on the • Stakeholder and public implementation over the results of the assessment engagement short and medium terms • Review of active • Documenting the study transportation facilities and • Concept screening and development of more process and findings identification of gaps or detailed improvement • Share study findings and deficient connectivity options at key locations overall recommendations • Problem Definition along the study corridor Report identifying the key • Defining