This project includes 18 kilometres of reconstructed six- and eight-lane divided freeway, nine kilometres of new six- and eight-lane divided freeway, nine service interchanges, seven grade separations, and twin river bridge structures. The 27-kilometre northeast leg of the ring road will be free-flow (there will be no traffic lights on the freeway).
One of the major project highlights is construction of twin bridges, which will stretch almost one-third of a kilometre over the North Saskatchewan River. Three lanes of northbound traffic and four lanes of southbound traffic will open to the public in 2016 and the design includes the capability for future widening of up to two additional lanes in each direction if warranted. The southbound bridge will include a pedestrian and bicycle bridge suspended below the structure to connect to surrounding existing and future trail networks.
The construction of 17 bridges is complete, with traffic resuming on several of them. Construction commenced in June 2012, with completion scheduled for October 2016.
