Work has begun west of Highway 22 from north of Highway 1A at the off-leash dog park.
NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL), an owned subsidiary of TransCanada Pipelines, is constructing the West Path Delivery project which will supply southwest Alberta and connect downstream markets with natural gas produced in Western Canada.
The project has sparked numerous conversations within the community since the spring of 2017. Several factors were taken into consideration during this time including potential socio-economic impacts, environmental and land considerations, and the public's feedback. An application would eventually be instated in February of 2018. On April 11, 2019 the thumbs up was given by the National Energy Board (NEB) and Canada's Energy Regulator (CER) to begin pipeline construction.
The West Path Delivery Project is a 21.5 km pipeline loop that runs parallel with Highway 22 for approximately 6 km through Cochrane. A couple months ago, on Aug. 6, the project started on the south end at the Elbow River. It has since progressed north toward Cochrane. As part of the construction plan a Horizontal Directional Drill (HDD) will be constructed at the Bow River and through Cochrane's corridor and dog parks which began earlier this month.
If you drive on Highway 22 you will notice construction has commenced. It is said that the activities in this area and north of the town adjacent to Sunset ridge will near the finish line by June of 2020. TC Energy says the construction crews are working with the Town of Cochrane and landowners to minimize impacts and overall disturbance. Construction is scheduled typically during daylight hours Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Since construction began the off-leash dog park has been reduced in size to approximately 10 metres wide with the west side being separated by fencing. Sections of the smaller dog park will remain open but south of Westrock Rd and the fenced dog park at the bottom of the hill will be closed during the construction.
