Macleod Trail is a major road in Calgary, Alberta. It is a six- to eight-lane principal arterial road extending from downtown Calgary to the south of the city, where it merges into Highway 2. South of Anderson Road, Macleod Trail is an expressway and is slated to be upgraded to a freeway in the future.[citation needed] It is named for its destination to the south, Fort Macleod.

Macleod Trail
Map of Macleod Trail
Part of Highway 2A
Maintained byCity of Calgary, Alberta Transportation
Length27.7 km (17.2 mi)[1]
LocationCalgary, Alberta
North endRiverfront Avenue
Major
junctions
Glenmore Trail, Southland Drive, Anderson Road, Stoney Trail
South endHighway 2 (Deerfoot Trail)
Macleod Trail going into downtown Calgary (2010)
Macleod Trail in downtown Calgary (2011)

Route description

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Macleod Trail effectively divides the southwest and the southeast quadrants of the city, and many communities (inner city as well as suburban) were developed along its course.[2] Macleod Trail (along with Crowchild Trail and Deerfoot Trail) constitutes one of the three major north-south corridors of the city.[3]

Beginning as a one-way street for northbound traffic (with southbound traffic following 1st Street SE one block to the west), the road passes by Calgary City Hall, Olympic Plaza, the building that housed the former Calgary Central Library, and the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts. South of downtown, it defines the western edge of the Calgary Stampede grounds, as it passes through the Beltline district, then provides access to the MNP Community & Sport Centre as it runs between the historic inner city communities of Mission and Ramsay. South of Elbow River, Macleod Trail becomes a two-way road and has various motels established on its sides, and Chinook Centre faces the road as it passes between the communities of Meadowlark Park, Kingsland and Fairview. Macleod Trail is lined with commercial developments on both sides for its entire length between Erlton and Lake Bonavista, including strip malls, auto malls, big-box stores and shopping centres such as Southcentre Mall, and Calgary's largest suburban office complex at Southland Park. The southern leg of the C-Train LRT system (Route 201) is also developed along Macleod Trail.

In November 2007, Calgary City Council approved a functional planning study for the portion of Macleod Trail that extends from Anderson Road north to Downtown. Expected recommendations include interchanges at Heritage Drive and Southland Drive, as well as possible traffic signal refinements.[4] In addition, two other interchange locations are planned to be constructed within ten years. They are at the intersection with Lake Fraser gate and at the intersection with 194 Avenue.[5][6] This would make Macleod Trail a freeway from Anderson Road to nearly the city limits. On August 13, 2017, the first diverging diamond interchange in Canada was opened at 162 Avenue.[7][8][9]

Major intersections

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From north to south:[10]

Locationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
Calgary0.00.0Riverfront AvenueBegins as one-way couplets; northbound traffic follows Macleod Trail, southbound traffic follows 1 Street SE
0.20.124 Avenue SEWestbound one-way
0.30.195 Avenue SEEastbound one-way; connects to Memorial Drive and Edmonton Trail
0.40.256 Avenue SEWestbound one-way west of Macleod Trail
0.50.317 Avenue SE   City Hall station; Transit mall (no vehicle access); passes the historic Calgary City Hall
0.60.378 Avenue SE (Stephen Avenue)Pedestrian mall; passes the Calgary Municipal Building and Olympic Plaza
0.70.439 Avenue SEEastbound one-way
0.90.5611 Avenue SEWestbound one-way
1.10.6812 Avenue SE – Stampede ParkEastbound one-way; access to Scotiabank Saddledome
1.40.8717 Avenue SEPasses   Victoria Park/Stampede station; future access to Stampede Park[11]
1.81.1Crosses the Elbow River
Victoria Bridge (northbound) and Pattison Bridge (southbound)
1.91.2One-way transition; south-to-north U-turn ramp
2.31.425 Avenue SE – Stampede ParkPasses   Erlton/Stampede station
3.11.9Spiller RoadNorthbound right in/right out; original alignment of Macleod Trail (pre-1967)[12]
3.62.239 Avenue SAccess to   39 Avenue station
3.92.442 Avenue S
5.73.558 Avenue SW
6.13.861 Avenue SWAccess to Chinook Centre and   Chinook station
6.44.0Glenmore TrailSingle-point urban interchange (traffic signals)
7.74.878 Avenue SWGrade separated
8.15.0Heritage DriveAccess to   Heritage station and Heritage Park
9.76.0Southland DriveAccess to   Southland station
10.86.7109 Avenue SAccess to   Anderson station and Southcentre Mall; becomes an expressway
10.96.8Southcentre MallNorthbound right in/right out
11.37.0Anderson RoadPartial cloverleaf interchange; to Highway 1 west / Highway 2 north
Lake Fraser DriveNorthbound exit only
12.17.5Lake Fraser DriveNorthbound right in/right out
12.57.8Lake Fraser GateNorthbound right in/right out weekdays from 6 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.[13]
13.58.4Canyon Meadows DrivePartial cloverleaf interchange; access Lake Fraser Drive and   Canyon Meadows station
13.78.5Crosses Fish Creek
14.18.8Bannister Road / Shawnee GateSouthbound exit and northbound entrance; access to Fish Creek Provincial Park
14.69.1James McKevitt RoadSouthbound right in/right out; passes   Fish Creek–Lacombe station
14.99.3149 Avenue SE to Bannister RoadNorthbound right in/right out; northbound access to James McKevitt Road and Fish Creek Provincial Park
15.59.6Shawnessy Boulevard / Midlake BoulevardPartial cloverleaf interchange; accesses Shawville Boulevard, Bannister Road, and   Shawnessy station
16.610.3162 Avenue SE / Sun Valley BoulevardCanada's first Diverging diamond interchange;[14] access to   Somerset–Bridlewood station
17.2–
18.4
10.7–
11.4
Shawville BoulevardSouthbound exit only
  Stoney Trail (Highway 201)Hwy 201 exit 5; combination interchange; former Highway 22X;
  Highway 2A northern terminus
20.012.4194 Avenue S
21.213.2210 Avenue S
↑ / ↓23.314.5  Highway 552 south (226 Avenue S) – De WintonSouthbound right in/right out
Foothills County25.415.8Dunbow Road – De Winton, Heritage PointeNorthbound access to Hwy 552
27.717.2   Highway 2 north (Deerfoot Trail) – Airport, EdmontonY interchange; Hwy 2 exit 225; northbound exit and southbound entrance
   Highway 2 south / Highway 2A south – Okotoks, Fort Macleod, LethbridgeContinues south
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

History

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Chinook Drive-In

From 1949 to 1958, the Chinook Drive-In was located on McLeod Trail a half mile south of the Calgary city limits.[15]

See also

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KML is not from Wikidata

References

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  1. ^ a b "Macleod Trail". Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  2. ^ City of Calgary (February 2005). "The Calgary Transportation Plan". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  3. ^ City of Calgary (July 2002). "Transportation System Map". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  4. ^ Calgary Herald (November 2007). "Alderman Urging Macleod Trail Study". Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  5. ^ City Of Calgary (April 2007). "Calgary Regional Transportation Model Anticipated Projects List 2001-2015" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-12-03. [dead link]
  6. ^ City Of Calgary (April 2007). "Calgary Regional Transportation Model Anticipated Projects List 2020-2035" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-12-03. [dead link]
  7. ^ "Macleod Trail / 162 Avenue S Interchange". Transportation Infrastructure. City of Calgary. October 1, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "Unique interchange, first of its kind in Canada, opens in south Calgary". CBC News. August 13, 2017.
  9. ^ Yourex-West, Heather (2017-08-14). "Canada's first 'diverging diamond interchange' now open to Calgary traffic - Calgary | Globalnews.ca". globalnews.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  10. ^ Sherlock's Map of Calgary (16th ed.). Langdon, Alberta: Sherlock Publishing Ltd. 2014. pp. 28, 35, 41, 47, 53, 57, 78. ISBN 1-895229-80-4.
  11. ^ "The 17th Avenue SE Extension and Victoria Park/Stampede Station Crossing". CMLC. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  12. ^ Carter, Beth (April 2011). "Old North Trail" (PDF). Ramsay News. Ramsay Community Association. p. 10. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  13. ^ "Lake Fraser Gate traffic improvements". City of Calgary. October 10, 2012. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  14. ^ "Unique interchange, first of its kind in Canada, opens in south Calgary". CBC News. August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  15. ^ "Chinook Drive-In". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 5 September 2019.