We liked it, so we put a ring on it.

At a news conference on December 18, Premier Smith announced that Calgary's ring road is now complete.

"We have been waiting for this day for, quite literally, decades," Premier Smith explained. "From the concept to the decision, to the planning. and the design, and the construction, to today, we have finally accomplished what has been a very ambitious project. And one so critical to Calgarians and residents of the metro region now and for generations to come."

Discussions about the possibility of having a ring road around Calgary began in the 1950s.

Peter Lougheed's government began planning and acquiring land dedicated to creating a transport utility corridor in the late 1970s.

Construction on the ring road began in 1999 under Ralph Klein's leadership.

"Today's announcement means we'll have better options for anyone travelling the West side of the city," says Mayor Jyoti Gondek. "It's also a significant addition to our Goods Movement strategy, ultimately aiding economic growth for Calgary, for the Tsuut'ina nation, for Rocky View County, and Calgary Metropolitan region as a whole."

"For our part in this project, the City of Calgary has invested, approximately, $25 million to make a number of improvements to prepare for the opening of the West Ring road," Gondek explained.

There are new roadways, pathways, and sidewalks that were constructed to give safe and efficient access to the ring road.

"So much work went into this project," explained Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, Devin Dreeshen. "When you tally it all up, from 1999 'till now, it's about over $4 billion went into the completion of this ring road."

Completion of the ring road was finished a staggering ten months ahead of schedule and on budget.

Now that it's completed, the ring road is 101 kilometres long. But, if it was stretched down to one lane, the highway would be a total of 1304 kilometres long.

That's the equivalent to driving from Calgary to Winnipeg.

On top of building the ring road itself, they also built 197 bridges along the highway, as well as 48 interchanges.

Dreeshen adds that the ring road is designed to accommodate up to 100,000 vehicles per day and that the newly completed portion of the Ring Road will save people an estimated 20 minutes of travel in each direction.

The ring road will also help alleviate congestion on other roads, such as the Deerfoot, 16th Ave, Glenmore Trail, and Sarcee Trail.

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