CROWCHILD TRAIL STUDY AND ENGAGEMENT
Location: Calgary, AB
Project Type: Transportation, Community Engagement
About This Project
By working with stakeholders at every step, the team developed recommendations for Crowchild Trail that meet key principles of preserving or enhancing bordering communities, improving mobility across the corridor and improving travel. Crowchild Trail in the study area is one of the most congested transportation corridors in Calgary, and past planning studies left a legacy of community opposition and mistrust dating back multiple decades.
The study included evaluation of hundreds of ideas and options for improving the corridor, ranging from small-scale, short-term upgrades such as traffic signal timing adjustments to uniquely complex solutions such as tunneling under the Bow River. The study addressed many technical challenges including, constrained rights of way, complex traffic operations and simulation, the mix of freeway and urban boulevard cross sections, incorporation of known and planned transit routes, review of existing river crossings, CPR crossings and interchanges, and validation and integration of previous studies developed by others.
The final recommendations include long-term plans with broad community support that will see the removal of traffic signals from Crowchild Trail while maintaining access to all communities and destinations such as Foothills Hospital, McMahon Stadium and the University of Calgary.
The study was widely recognized by Council and in Calgary generally as setting a new standard for community engagement and has been the recipient of multiple national and international awards from the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
Integrated Expertise
- Transportation
- Community Enagagement
- Supporting Services
Award Winning
Calgary – In April 2018, the Crowchild Trail Study was recognized with a 2018 International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Award of Excellence in Community Relations and an Award of Merit in Issues Management and Crisis Communication. These awards will be presented at the Excellence Gala, as part of the 2018 IABC World Conference in Montreal.
These wins follow four recognitions in fall 2017.
On September 7, 2017, ISL’s Community Engagement group, alongside The City of Calgary and Russell PR, were awarded Canadian Project of the Year and won the category for Extending the Practice through Creativity, Collaboration and Innovation in the Field for the Crowchild Trail Study at the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) North American Conference in Denver, Colorado.
A month later, the team received two additional awards for the project from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Canada’s Silver Leaf Awards Program: An Award of Excellence in Community Relations and an Award of Excellence in Issues Management and Crisis Communication.
