Construction closes 6th Avenue

Thousands of downtown Calgary commutersfound new routes to work Tuesday after one block of6th Avenue S.E. between 1st Street and Centre Streetwas closed.

The 10-month closureis due to construction of loading docks and underground parking for Encana's new 59-storey headquarters. The Bow office tower complex will straddle both sides of 6th Avenue when completed in 2011.

An estimated 19,000 people use6th Avenue each day.

"Try to plan your route and avoid the area if you can. If not, expect delays and obey all traffic measures for everyone's safety," said Colleen Brown, a spokeswoman with the City of Calgary.

The closure is expected to have the biggest impact on the morning commute. Traffic that would normally use6th Avenue, which runs one way westbound,will be detoured along either 4th Avenue or Riverfront Avenue. Those coming downtown from the south are encouraged to use 11th Avenue.

Over the weekend,the city created bus-only lanes on1st Street and 5th Avenue. Transit officials say there won't be any delays caused by the Sixth Avenue closure but drivers will be faced with fewer lanes on 5th Avenue and1st Street East.

At the city's traffic management centre, technicians will monitor bottlenecks and decide if signal timings need to be changed.

"Yes there will be delays, there will always be delays when you close a lane that people are used to driving in, but [we] hope to alleviate that with the signal timings to keep traffic moving," said Brown.

The City of Calgary's website includes several detour routes, transit information around the closure, and a pedestrian map with sidewalk closures as several have been shut during construction.