A new roadway connection further linking southwest Calgary to Tsuut’ina Nation officially opened on Thursday.
The new section opened to traffic at noon and completes the final segment of Tsuut’ina Parkway by creating a direct link between Taza Park and the Westhills area.
The opening marks the final piece of a 2013 agreement that helped make the Southwest Calgary Ring Road possible. Residents say the roadway will make travel easier between Calgary and the neighbouring Tsuut’ina Nation.
“I always tell people that we’re in Tsuut’ina, your friendly neighbourhood reservation,” said one Tsuut’ina resident. “We’re just five minutes away from Calgary. It’s nice that we’re getting closer a bit.”
A southwest Calgary resident told CityNews the connection has already improved accessibility in the area.
“We’re living in Signal Hill and it just made it way easier to get around,” they said. “So I think it’s a project that was long overdue, but it’s now paying dividends.”
While the roadway is expected to help alleviate traffic congestion, Tsuut’ina leaders say its significance extends beyond transportation.
“I believe this is a connector for people,” said Zachary Manywounds, Xakujaa, or minor chief, with the Tsuut’ina Nation. “Tsuut’ina has had major causeways dividing us from our neighbours and now we have more entry points that connect us to Calgarians and Albertans.”
Taza Park, a development on Tsuut’ina Nation near the Glenmore Reservoir and Grey Eagle Casino, is a partnership between the First Nation and a real estate developer that will see people be able to buy homes on the reserve through a leasehold ownership, where homeowners own their homes, but not the land that it sits on.
President James Robertson said Taza Park’s growth is already taking shape.
“Taza Park is about 470 acres of mixed-use development, primarily commercial, so you’ve seen the announcement of the Walmart going up under construction beside us,” Robertson said. “We have car dealerships across the road here. Future retailers are coming along Santana Parkway, grocery stores, restaurants, all things coming that we will be announcing in the future.”
As Taza Park expands, the roadway is expected to serve as a key connection for future residents, businesses and visitors travelling between the development, southwest Calgary, and the rest of the city.
Manywounds said the route could also help strengthen relationships between the Nation and its neighbours.
“Most of southwest Calgary doesn’t really know about Tsuut’ina and hasn’t for a long time,” he said. “I think this roadway is going to give them the opportunity to start seeing our people, our evolution and elements of our culture. So I think it’s really going to reshape how Calgarians and Tsuut’ina work together.”
Officials unveil the officially opening of the a stretch of Tsuut’ina Parkway in SW Calgary. (CityNews/Rayn Rashid)
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