{"id":37819,"date":"2017-10-16T18:36:12","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T00:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=37819"},"modified":"2017-10-16T18:36:12","modified_gmt":"2017-10-17T00:36:12","slug":"international-avenue-brt-construction-short-term-pain-for-long-term-gain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2017\/10\/16\/international-avenue-brt-construction-short-term-pain-for-long-term-gain\/","title":{"rendered":"International Avenue BRT construction: Short-term pain for long-term gain"},"content":{"rendered":"

N<\/span>ew\u00a0road development has begun on International Avenue, and Calgary drivers in the southeast are frustrated with the constant traffic changes and temporary lights.<\/p>\n

C<\/span>olin Chapman, the project manager for the 17th Avenue S.E Bus Rapid Transit Project, explained that the road development is designed to enhance safety for drivers, pedestrians, and transit users.<\/p>\n

According to Chapman, there will be a limited bus stop that provides quick transportation to the downtown core, stations with real-time travel information, and heated shelters.<\/p>\n

Chapman says the project will affect residents who live in the communities around International Avenue as well as transit users, businesses, and pedestrians along the avenue.<\/p>\n

“The road developments are designed to create better traffic flow and faster commute times,” \u00a0said Chapman.<\/p>\n

According to the transportation section of Calgary.ca, some of the south side construction has already been completed.<\/p>\n

The website also states that construction and road removals started on the north side during the week of Sept 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cInternational Avenue is culturally diverse and unique, and the city is working to maintain that. Whether it\u2019s working with businesses or residents, the design for the project reflects the uniqueness of the avenue and the community’s desire to create a great space for everyone,\u201d said Chapman.<\/p>\n

Current resident of the Forrest Lawn area, Corrina Pelletier, has been driving in southeast for about 12 years and has never experienced such traffic congestion before.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it\u2019s so busy and hard to get through. I take the back roads and do my shopping in a different community,\u201d said Pelletier.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s comforting sticking with the norm, but the driving is so terrible right now it\u2019s easier to go elsewhere,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Bethany Fudger, 21, has lived near International Avenue almost all her life.<\/p>\n

Fudger has experienced difficult driving conditions since the development began in early September.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is beyond frustrating driving behind someone who doesn\u2019t know what they are doing,\u201d said Fudger.<\/p>\n

She is expecting to hear about more accidents as she feels some people just don\u2019t care enough to pay attention for others or the construction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am worried that because they added a new left turning lane people are going to cause accidents,\u201d said Fudger.<\/p>\n

Fudger and many of her fellow community residents are excited for construction to end and for normality to be restored.<\/p>\n

The new road developments are scheduled to be completed sometime in the spring of 2018, and residents in the area are impressed with how quickly things are moving.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is almost sad watching the changes be made to our old community but I think in the end it will be very beneficial and a nice uplift to the area,\u201d said Fudger.<\/p>\n

For updates on construction progress, see the City of Calgary website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pavement Aplenty: <\/strong>Construction workers prepare the bus lane along International Avenue at 52nd Street S.E.in Calgary on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. When completed, the revamped road will enable quicker commute times into downtown. (Photo by Courtney Lovgren\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New road development has begun on International Avenue and Calgary drivers in S.E are frustrated with the constant road change and temporary lights. [ READ MORE ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":397,"featured_media":37818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_ef_editorial_meta_text_assignment-slug":"S1 International Ave ","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,711,13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-37819","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-image","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-city","8":"category-featured","9":"category-news","10":"post_format-post-format-image"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37819"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38753,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37819\/revisions\/38753"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}