Airport tunnel a top priority, Nenshi vows

A pledge by Calgary's mayor-elect to take immediate steps to get the airport tunnel built is getting praise from the project's boosters.

Naheed Nenshi said Tuesday one of his top four priorities will be to get an underpass constructed at 96th Avenue and 36th Street N.E. underneath a new runway slated to be be built at the airport.

The new north-south 4,270-metre landing strip being built in April 2011 will force the closure of Barlow Trail between 48th Avenue and Airport Road N.E.

Atunnel or underpass, as Nenshi said he prefers to call it would provide motorists with another east-west route to the airport from the city's northeast.

Most of the city's mayoral candidates supported the controversial project but Nenshi will be a particularly strong voice, said Curtis Fernets, general manager of the Sheraton Cavalier at 32nd Avenue andBarlow Trail N.E.

"Well mayor-elect Nenshi has been cognizant of this issue for the last couple of years. So if anyone had confidence in making that statement, it should be our mayor-elect. He knows what he's talking about."

Tunnel proponent Ward 3 Ald. Stevenson said heplans to introduce a motion Nov. 8 asking council to allocate $173 million in provincial infrastructure money for the project. He added that he believes the Airport Authority will support the move.

"As long as we come up with the money to do it, then I'm sure they're going to be fine with us doing it," Stevenson said.

Without a tunnel, many area businesses have argued that they will be cut-off from airport traffic, while Deerfoot Trail the other main route to the airport will become too congested.

The cost of building the tunnel was pegged at $287 million, but during the mayoral race Ald. Bob Hawkesworth, who campaigned against the idea, said it would cost $500 million.

Boring a tunnel under a finished runway would push the price tag up to $900 million, the city said earlier this year.

The Calgary Airport Authority and the city agreed in December 2009 to jointlypay $90 million of the project's cost, but the provincial and federal governments rejected a request to fund the remaining $197 million.

'It's very clear that Calgarians have spoken out strongly, strongly in support of this project. And we're going to get 'er done.' Mayor-elect Naheed Nenshi

In July city council rejected a suggestion to spend $150 million to rough in the basic infrastructure and build the tunnel at a later date.

"The airport tunnel has been affirmed by council over and over again. What was rejected was a very specific motion to divert money from one project to another," Nenshi said.

"It's very clear that Calgarians have spoken out strongly, strongly in support of this project. And we're going to get 'er done," he added.

Nenshi's other three priorities are to tackle the $60-million budget shortfall, reform the relationship between city council and administration, and secure the money for a new southeast light rail transit line, he said.