Southwest Ring Road connectors to Oakridge nearing completion

The opening of the Southwest Ring Road may still be just over two years away, but the two major connectors from Oakridge to the much-anticipated road are already close to completion.

A walking tour of the area revealed as much this week, as extensions of both Southland Drive and 90th Avenue S.W. are mostly paved already.

Lights have already been installed and are operational at the intersection of Southland Drive and Oakfield Drive, and the majority of paving of the Southland extension to the connection at 90th Avenue has already taken place.

The same can be said for the 90th Avenue extension, which is 80% paved all the way to the connection with the ring road. On and off-ramps are also complete, and the street lights at the Southland Drive and 90th Avenue connection should be installed very soon. Street lights presently lay on the ground along both connectors and appear to be the next item on the “to do” list.

While the near completion of these connectors is exciting news for the community, they are still literally roads to nowhere right now, as the ring road remains about 750 days away from completion. Slated to be completed by the fall of 2021, the eight-lane divided highway will provide an alternative access route to downtown and the west side of the city for Oakridge residents, along with dramatically decreasing the drive time to the mountains.

As reported in a previous Monitor blog, real estate agents in the area predict home prices in Oakridge could rise by as much as 20 per cent upon the road’s completion. This is not only due to the improved access, but also because the Tsuu T’ina Nation has major development plans for the land around the ring road, including new employment centres and shopping outlets.

Once complete, the Southwest Ring Road will run from Highway 8, near the Elbow Springs Golf Course to Highway 22X, near Macleod Trail S.E.