10th Avenue businesses facing years of construction under approved downtown Green Line route
Calgary council voted Tuesday to run LRT trains along street level on 10 Avenue. Owners say detours and closures will make survival unlikely.
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Calgary council voted Tuesday to proceed with a surface-level alignment for the downtown Green Line LRT, running trains directly along 10 Avenue from the Event Centre to 2 Street SW, with one lane of traffic permitted on either side. The decision rejected elevated and underground options as too expensive.
Business owners along the route say the three- to four-year construction timeline threatens survival. Geoff Allan, who owns Bottlescrew Bill's at 10 Avenue and 1 Street SW, launched a beer called "Death Sentence" in response to the decision. "There's gonna be detours, road closures; it's going to be harder to get to us. It's going to be loud, dusty, dirty," Allan said. "The reality is I don't think anybody has the bankroll to make it through the three to four years that it's going to take them to finish it."
John Batas, owner of Michael's Restaurant and Pizza, pointed to 7th Avenue as cautionary precedent. "Just be fair to us. Don't put it in the middle of the street, don't ruin our livelihood. Look at 7th Avenue, how many businesses are thriving on 7th Avenue right now? Whatever's left is now closed. You've already destroyed that street, why destroy this one also." Batas also flagged traffic concerns: "All these parkades have to dump onto 10th Avenue, and the traffic heading westbound and eastbound is tremendous. If you take away lanes, where are they gonna go."
The precedent exists. Greta Bar closed its Edmonton location in July, citing "years of simultaneous construction tied to the Valley Line West LRT, Jasper Avenue, etc." as a contributing factor. The route was endorsed by the executive committee on September 9.
How many businesses currently operate along the 10 Avenue SW corridor between 1 and 2 Street, and how many survived similar construction on 7th Avenue during the Red Line?
What support or compensation is the city offering to businesses facing three to four years of street-level construction?
Has the city modelled traffic flow with one lane in each direction on 10th Avenue, and what does parking access look like for parkades that currently dump onto that street?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
What route did Calgary council approve for the downtown Green Line LRT?
Calgary council approved running LRT trains at street level along 10 Avenue from the Event Centre to 2 Street SW, with one lane of traffic permitted on either side.
How long do business owners expect construction to take?
Business owners along the route say construction will take three to four years to complete.
What concerns did John Batas raise about the Green Line route?
John Batas, owner of Michael's Restaurant and Pizza, warned that removing traffic lanes would worsen congestion from parkades dumping onto 10th Avenue and cited 7th Avenue as an example of a street damaged by LRT construction.
Why did Greta Bar close its Edmonton location?
Greta Bar closed its Edmonton location in July, citing years of simultaneous construction tied to the Valley Line West LRT and Jasper Avenue work as a contributing factor.
