Rocky Ridge Road Closure Media Release

Rocky Ridge Royal Oak Residents Hopeful that the City’s Transportation Infrastructure Department Will Pull Through With a Design

Rocky Ridge/Royal Oak Community Committee (R3C3) met with Mayor Bronconnier and several Aldermen in the past week to discuss the communities proposed technical viable alternatives allowing Rocky Ridge Road / Crowchild Trail intersection to continue to remain open with partial or full access to the community available. Because the city understands how the closure impacts this community from a risk and safety standpoint, increased residential traffic as well as increased vehicle costs and green house gas emissions, there is definitely a willingness of all politicians and their staff to keep the road open as long as a cost-effective and professional engineered “approved” design can be obtained.

The Rocky Ridge/Royal Oak technical team has worked diligently to find infrastructure solutions. They have provided cost-effective alternative designs and have met several times with representatives from City of Calgary’s Transportation Infrastructure department. Mayor Bronconnier and Alderman Hodges have tasked their staff to continue to work with the community’s technical team to review all interchange designs and to provide a solution, if feasible. There is willingness of this department to review these designs and continue to find a solution to this situation. With the City Council vote looming on April 27^th, the Rocky Ridge/Royal Oak Committee is hoping that the City’s Transportation Infrastructure team will “pull through” and provide a viable solution for this community.

Within the week, the Community Committee (R3C3) will be meeting with Lindsay Blackett, MLA Calgary North-West, to discuss the community proposed viable alternatives and ask for his support to take the final proposed alternative to the Minister of Transportation, Luke Ouellette. The Community continues to support this initiative demonstrating their concern through petition signing, writing letters and emails and calling their respective politicians to voice their concern.

Please contact the R3C3 Communications Subcommittee at r3c3@googlegroups.com for more information.

[UPDATE - April 27]

This media release was editer before it could be sent out to the media. There is a new media release which replaces this release here:
r3c3.blogspot.com/2009/04/updated-rocky-ridge-road-closure-media.html