Tour of Alberta road closures take MD of Bighorn by surprise

Officials from the MunicipalDistrict of Bighorn say they had no idea about highway closures due to the Tour of Alberta road cycling race despite having a large portion of the race roll through their jurisdiction.

"We didn't hear from the race organizers, we didn't hear from the province. We had no official contact whatsoever," says Martin Buckley, chief administrative officer of the MD of Bighorn.

The municipality says it only became aware of the closures when a resident contacted them on Aug. 24, asking for more information.

A number of highways west and north of Calgary will be closed Friday afternoon to make way for 120 cyclists riding through stage two of the race, which goes from Kananaskis Country all the way to Olds.

WestboundTransCanadaHighway1, Highway1A and Highway1X are among the major roads affected.

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"It's frustrating, clearly. By our calculations, about 40 kilometres of the 180-kilometre stage two activities occur within our jurisdiction and take place on some highways that are very busy and extremely important to our local residents," Buckley told the Calgary Eyeopener.

The routes will be impacted by rolling road closures between noon and 6 p.m.

Tour of Alberta organizers earlier told the CBC they had incorrectly assumed it wasn't an issue.

"I'd have to disagree," said Buckley, adding thatHighway1A is the only way for some residentsto reach places like Calgary and Cochrane for medical appointments and other important business.

Buckley said the municipality had been assured that EMS vehicles would get through, adding they have scrambled to notify residents of the closures through theirwebsite, Twitter feed and Facebook page.

With many people planning to head west on local highways onthe Friday before the last long weekend in summer,Buckley says he will be directing any complaints to Alberta Transportation and the race organizers.

He noted that next time, it would be appropriatefor organizers to contact affected municipalities "long in advance".

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The race attracts 120 cyclists from around the world, as well as fans who attend the free festivals at the start and end of each leg of the race.

Here's an overview of the road closures for Stage 2of the race fromKananaskis Country to Olds on Friday:

• Highway 40 will be closed from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Westbound Highway 1 will be closed from 1p.m. to 1:15 p.m.
• Highway 1X will be closed from 1:10 p.m. to 1:25 p.m.
• Westbound Highway 1A between Highway 1X and Cochrane will be closed from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• Speed will be reduced to 40 km/h eastbound on Highway 1A between Highway 1X and Cochrane from 1p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• Highway 1A through Cochrane will be closed from 2:30 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
• Westbound Highway 1A east of Cochrane to Highway 766 will be closed from 2p.m. to 3p.m.
• Speed will be reduced to 40 km/h eastbound on Highway 1A, east of Cochrane to Hwy 766, from 2:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
• Rolling closures from 2:30 p.m. to 5p.m. on Highway 766 will affect all Township Roads between Highway 1A and Highway 27, and Highways 567, 574, 580 and 582.
• Rolling closures from 4p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Highway 27.
• Westbound Highway 27 between Highway 766 and Olds will be closed from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Speed limit will be reduced to 40 km/h eastbound on Highway 27 between Highway 766 and Olds between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
• Highway 27 in Olds will be closed from 4p.m. to 6p.m.

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