Great News for MARK’s 8th Street Frontage
July 14, 2015
Great news for MARK on 10th with its beautiful frontage along 8th, residents and guests will be poised to enjoy all the benefits of a pedestrian friendly planning initiative, with construction well underway. The concept, to transform 8th Street all the way from Uptown 17th Ave SW down to the river includes a makeover of the aging underpass, as well as new bike lanes and wider sidewalks.
Pedestrians and cyclists will soon benefit from green boulevards, shops and patio spaces all along 8th Street. The City of Calgary hopes to “create exciting urban neighbourhoods in the Beltline that would be comparable to those found in Manhattan or San Francisco”. No longer simply a commuter corridor, 8th Street will be transformed into an attractive destination.
Source: The Beltline Initiative
More about the 8th St underpass…
Construction begins on $8.8-million underpass enhancement
Author: Erika Stark, The Calgary Herald
A busy downtown Calgary underpass will undergo an $8.8-million facelift beginning Wednesday. When complete, the 8th Street S.W. underpass will feature new sidewalks, LED lighting, public art and a new paint job. The “much needed” renovations to the underpass, which links the Beltline and downtown, will make the area safer and more attractive, said Ben Barrington, the Centre City implementation program manager. He said they want users to feel safe and enjoy the artistic and design features.
The bridges and retaining walls will be a reflective white, and public art will be installed between the bridges. Motorists and the 8,700 people who use the underpass each day will encounter some sidewalk and road closures as construction gets underway. Crews will first work on the east side of the walkway, which will be closed along with a northbound lane of traffic. Once that side is complete, construction will move to the west side. The project is the first phase of the city’s 8th Street S.W. Corridor Public Realm Plan, which aims to improve the experience of pedestrians using the street. Most of the enhancements should be complete by the end of the year, with the final touches done next spring.
