Marda Loop business frustrated over repeated work by City of Calgary

Construction is slated to begin on 22 Street S.W. in Marda Loop, but a nearby business says crews had already worked on the same street last year.

Calgary’s 22 Street S.W. is marked with spray paint serving as a guide for the next slate of construction in Marda Loop, leading to frustration. Those who live and work nearby say the street was already worked on last year.

Starting this week, city crews plan to narrow the curb extension along 22 Street S.W. north of the alley between 33 Avenue and 34 Avenue S.W. to leave a wider berth on the one-way street for emergency vehicles.

“We thought we were past this. We’ve had this same street dug up countless times,” said Ryan Turbide, a partner at Diner Deluxe, mere metres from where work is set to take place.

According to the City of Calgary, vehicles have been spotted parking close to the curb extension, and it has restricted emergency vehicle access to 33 Avenue S.W.

“This work will provide more space for emergency vehicles to safely pass through the area while allowing vehicles to continue parking along the street,” a spokesperson for the city said in a statement. “A major goal of the Marda Loop Main Street project is to improve the pedestrian experience and prevent unsafe conditions for those walking, wheeling, and driving in the community.”

Construction is expected to last approximately two weeks.

Diner Deluxe is one of the main plaintiffs named in a multi-million-dollar class action lawsuit against the City of Calgary for the years of construction in Marda Loop.

“To have something done, interrupted and then completed, only to be torn up again – it’s just a misuse of either public funds and putting the onus and the burden on businesses,” Turbide said, pointing to the expanded multi-use sidewalk outside the restaurant that he said was completed last year.