Chestermere wants to see immediate action on upgrading an east Calgary corridor, once ranked as the top regional transportation priority—although it may not happen as quickly as desired.

The City of Calgary and the City of Chestermere have continued to discuss options for the 17 Avenue SE–Chestermere Boulevard connection where the two municipalities meet.

According to a briefing note published with the June 19 Intergovernmental Affairs Committee meeting, there was a joint presentation on the corridor from both city administrations back in April.

“The Committee discussed how the corridor could build out, and there was agreement between both Administrations to continue discussions to investigate options,” read the briefing note.

“Chestermere noted that these concerns are top of mind for their residents.”

That municipality published a news release on June 13, after a serious injury collision at the intersection of 17 Avenue SE and Range Road 284, which is the north-south boundary road between the two cities. Chestermere initiated a review of the intersection, including potential short-term safety improvements.

“At the same time, a comprehensive corridor study is already underway in collaboration with the City of Calgary,” read the release.

“Recognizing that this roadway connects two municipalities, Mayor Shannon Dean has reached out to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek to reinforce the importance of working together.”

Mayor Dean told LWC that the City of Chestermere is growing faster towards Calgary than Calgary is growing towards it, so there’s an emphasis on this transportation connection. He said that Chestermere is expecting 2025 to match the nine per cent growth they saw in 2024.

“Since becoming mayor, I mean the ongoing comment, if you will, between elected officials in Calgary and myself is that you basically can’t get me in a room with an elected official from Calgary without me bringing up 17th Avenue,” he said.

Dean said there’s an argument to be made that there’s not only an economic corridor issue here, but one that encompasses the free movement of labour between the cities.

“It impacts Calgary’s economy, because those jobs exist in Calgary, where they are working,” he said.

“Then vice versa, that affects our economy, because they live here, they also shop here, those sorts of things.”

Corridor conversation has a decade-plus history

According to a 2024 municipal census, Chestermere has a population of 28,129, though the Alberta Regional Dashboard has it at 28,938.  It has a five-year growth rate of 23.95 per cent, according to the dashboard.

Right now, the 17 Avenue SE–Chestermere Boulevard route is a single lane in each east-west direction. A substantial portion of the population drives this route to get to employment centres in Calgary.

Mayor Dean said that some commuters use the Trans-Canada Highway, and others use Glenmore, but a large portion of the traffic uses the direct route along 17 Avenue SE to downtown Calgary. According to the City of Calgary’s Traffic Counts System, the last traffic study along 17 Avenue SE (at Stoney Trail) was done in 2010.

“It’s not just about going to work. It’s also with regards to the commercial that is in East Hills,” he said.

“We are seeing increased traffic volumes along that corridor, and so much so that the City of Chestermere, we put it in our 2025 capital budget to twin the road this year.”

Back in 2016, after years of consultation, Calgary city council approved the 17 Avenue SE corridor study from Stoney Trail to the east city limit. In it, the City of Calgary states the corridor will be home to 61,000 people and 9,700 future jobs.

That study called for a twinning of the roadway, providing two lanes for car traffic, both east and west. It also included a middle transit-only section and a raised cycle track on each side of the road.

According to a 2020 City of Calgary news release, the 17 Avenue SE corridor was identified by members of the now-defunct Calgary Metropolitan Region Board as the top regional infrastructure priority. That list was submitted to the provincial government.

“The timeline for implementing the final design depends on available funding and the rate of residential and business development in the area,” reads the current project webpage.

Back in 2021, the City of Calgary and the City of Chestermere agreed to provide Bus Rapid Transit to the community aboard the Max Purple line.

17 Avenue SE is a priority transportation project with differing timelines

Construction is already ongoing in Belvedere. It’s an east Calgary community situated between 84 Street and 100 Street SE along 17 Avenue.

“Calgary is growing gangbusters, and it’s growing in the Belvedere area for the first time in decades,” said Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra.

“You can’t build anything (in Belvedere) without it being inhabited instantly.”

Coun. Carra is keenly aware of the transportation challenges in the corridor and empathetic to the growing concern in Chestermere. The question is where it fits on Calgary’s priority list.

“The current access to Calgary is problematic on that single lane highway, and we are aware of that,” he said.  

“We’re working on it, but it obviously is one of many, many, many things that are important to the City of Calgary, whereas it is the single most important thing to the City of Chestermere.”

Mayor Dean said that they’ve put roughly $7 million towards the twinning on their side of the city boundaries, and they’re continuing to build positive bureaucratic relationships with their western neighbours. He hopes that’s enough to spur a more expeditious approach from the City of Calgary.

“So, we start to develop, and if we were to go, does that then help trigger the City of Calgary to go,” Dean said.

“Because if we do our portion, and then it goes back to a single lane, then what happens?”

Coun. Carra said that he’s in favour of getting the work done as quickly as possible; however, there’s a different swiftness scale being used than the one in Chestermere.

He said the estimated $100 million corridor project needs to be done all at once, with provincial and federal financial assistance. It can’t be a piecemeal job stretched out of the next 15 years, he added. Carra said they’re working on detailed design plans to capitalize on available cash from other orders of government.

“(Mayor) Shannon Dean wants us to go big or go home in the next three years, and realistically, we’re thinking it’s going to happen in the next three to five years,” Coun. Carra said.

“But that’s the only bone of contention, and they’re, of course, laser-focused on it, because it is the single biggest issue in Chestermere.”