With a natural resource rich economy, Calgary’s rapid growth has necessitated the construction of southeast quadrant of Stoney Trail, which will serve as the city’s ring road once all four quadrants are completed. The portion of Stoney Trail being constructed will include 14 km of new freeway, 13 km of upgrades and expansions and the construction or upgrade of 9 interchanges. Traffic Accommodation Strategies (TAS) temporarily divert traffic to accommodate construction activities, while ensuring worker and traveller safety. The need is most prevalent where the existing roadways cannot be closed for construction. While TAS’s are essential for safety, the attention paid towards their development and execution is sometimes less than what is warraneted. In an effort to streamline the process, various jurisdictions and organizations have published standards and recommendations for TAS design and implementation. While these publications are sometimes similar they can differ greatly from each other in certain critical areas. On the Southeast Stoney Trail (SEST) project, the differences have become an issue at times, such as where the standard in-force impractical to implement, or when the TAS covers two different jurisdictions that employ significantly different standards. This paper examines various standards and recommendations applicable to Alberta in order to analyse the similarities and discrepancies between them. A commentary on the SEST project is included to highlight any deficiencies in the published material. Finally, attempts are made to rationalize and streamline an approach in situations where conflicting standards are in-place. Potential legal issues with utilizing different standards are discussed.
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