Stoney Trail extension set to open

Stoney Trail is set to open this afternoon after a long delay in construction. The total cost of the extension is $700M.

After some very costly delays, driving in southeast Calgary should get a little easier as the extended ring road is expected to be open Friday afternoon.

52 days after it was scheduled to open, 25 kilometres of Stoney Trail will be open in time for the afternoon rush hour.

The new stretch is the third section of the highway to be built and brings the total length of the road to 70 km.

“This is a celebration, not just for local families and communities enjoying a safer and faster commute, but for all Albertans. Stoney Trail is critical to our provincial transportation network which reaches out to markets across Canada and around the world. Our Building Alberta Plan is delivering real results for Alberta and Albertans,” Premier Alison Redford said in a release.

The new section includes 27 bridge structures, nine interchanges, two new rail flyovers, and one new road flyover.

Crews will spend most of the morning clearing snow and laying down salt, the finishing touches needed to make the road open to drivers.

Once the give the all clear, drivers will be able to use the road.

Stoney Trail was originally supposed to open on October 1, and the contractor in charge of construction has been fined $75,000 every day the road remained closed.

That adds up to more than $3.5M in late penalties.

The whole project cost nearly $770M.