Glenmore Trail bottleneck study targets collisions and congestion in southwest Calgary

The City of Calgary is carrying out a functional planning study for a 4-kilometre section of Glenmore Trail between Richard Road and 14th Street S.W. to address congestion and safety concerns on one of the city's busiest east-west routes.

Glenmore Trail, which becomes Highway 8 outside city limits, is the only continuous east-west corridor across central Calgary and carries roughly 150,000 vehicles per day. Even small operational problems can ripple across the entire commute, making it critical infrastructure for residents, transit, and goods movement.

Senior transportation planner Zeeshan Abdy said the study will focus on collision hot spots and congestion-prone interchanges, particularly at 14th Street and Crowchild Trail. "Along Glenmore Trail, we have challenges with respect to sudden speed changes, weaving movements, merging challenges and condition-related issues," Abdy said. "These conditions can increase the risk of collisions, particularly near ramps and during busy travel periods."

The study, which began with community engagement last month and will continue until next summer, will also assess environmental constraints including Glenmore Dam operations, drainage, bridge requirements, and future growth potential. Ward 11 Councillor Rob Ward noted that collision management is urgent: most crashes occur where vehicles merge onto or off the Crowchild overpass and on the eastbound causeway before the right-hand lanes turn into 14th Street.

Potential improvements range from widening the roadway or causeway to adding high occupancy vehicle lanes or building a new interchange at Richard Road. A previous 2018–2021 project widened the stretch between 37th Street S.W. and Crowchild Trail from four to six lanes and upgraded the Crowchild interchange.