‼️Elevated Green Line alignment would cost $100s of millions or billions more than City's underground plan
Alberta Minister for Transportation Devin Dreeshen (MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake) probably wishes he had a cash cow right now. (Image source: CBC News)
City Administration has identified $1.3-billion in costs and risks that were missed in Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen's report that he arbitrarily refuses to release to the public. This finding marks a highly embarrassing turnaround just one business day after Dreeshen proclaimed the elevated alignment was "The best Green Line alignment anyone could develop".
As a result, City Administration reports that the Province's estimate for an elevated Green Line through Beltline and Downtown is actually upwards of $300-million more expensive than the City's underground alignment and phasing from Eau Claire to Shepard.
🐣 Province's cost estimate for elevated Green Line is extremely preliminary
The only thing uglier than the possibility of elevated stations downtown is the accuracy of a cost estimate based on a 5% complete design. (Image source: Beltline Neighbourhoods Association)
According to City Administration, the Province's estimate for elevated Green Line is also far more crude and unreliable (-50/+100% accuracy), based on just a 5% maturity design compared to the City's underground alignment, which was 60% complete as of July 30th, allowing for much more reliable cost estimates (+/-15% accuracy). According to experts, it would take another 3 years of work to advance the Dreeshen's plan up to the 60% level and would likely add another 50-100% cost increase.
🤐 Councillors Sharp, McLean, Wong, Chu, Chabot vote unsuccessfully to gag administration from sharing gap in cost analysis with the public
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This missing $1.3-billion would have been kept secret from the public had the above members of the Billionaires First municipal party had their way. Councillors Sharp, McLean, Wong, Chu and Chabot all voted to keep Devin Dreeshen's $1.3-billion oopsie a secret from the public.
🔥Councillor Sharp casts blame, lashes out at citizens asking for underground alignment: "This has to stop."
Councillor Sharp went on the offence for Danielle Smith and the Alberta Government (WATCH ▶️)
At City Hall, Councillor Sonya Sharp lashed out at members of Council and the public for continuing to demand the City build the underground Green Line alignment. In her council statements, she said she supports Danielle Smith's government's Green Line interference, which is hastily trying to replace a shovel-ready Green Line plan that was created through a decade of public consultation and expert planning with a far more costly and risky back of the napkin drawing by Devin Dreeshen, MLA from Innisfail-Sylvan Lake.
🤑Underground arena for billionaires, but no underground public transit for the rest of us
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The new arena is being constructed underground with ice level 37-ft below street level (left). Meanwhile the Province refuses to fund underground Green Line construction across the street. (Right - source: City of Calgary)
Danielle Smith and her UCP Government are contributing $55-million in taxpayer funds to build an underground arena for one of the richest billionaires in Canada (who lives in Switzerland). Meanwhile, she is refusing to contribute to build efficient underground public transit for taxpayers in Calgary.
The plans put forward by the City of Calgary are the only viable options. Anything else is just a sideshow distraction 🤡🎪.
📣Take Action!
✉️ 1) Email Calgary City Council
The Alberta Government report has failed to find a better or cheaper plan to build the Green Line in Calgary.
Ask City Council to fight for the City's underground alignment the way they fought for an underground arena for billionaires.
✉️ 2) Email the Alberta Government - Ditch the Dreeshen Drawing🖍️
The Alberta Government report has failed to find a better or cheaper plan to build the Green Line in Calgary.
Ask Danielle Smith and Devin Dreeshen to ditch Dreeshen's disastrous crayon drawing and get onboard with the City's shovel ready underground plan for Downtown and the Beltline with the same enthusiasm they supported building an underground arena for billionaires.
📣 3) Help spread the word
Share this post with your network.
