I hope Shag doesn't become a freeway, don't think there is enough traffic on it to warrant it anyway.
It's supposed to remain largely as it is according to the 2018 corridor plan, with a bunch of improvements to add BRT lanes, improve intersections and add pathway infrastructure. If ever implemented it would be a great improvement - while remaining firmly in Calgary-style high-speed suburban arterial category. Also important - the cross-section is planned to get even wider to fit all the extra turns, pathways and bus lanes - wider roads, higher speeds cycle continues....
Currently, Shaganappi has 25 - 35K vehicles a day south of Crowchild (2019), putting it in the same volume league as 14 Street SW/NW, the busier parts of Elbow Drive, or this stretch of Eglinton Ave in Toronto (see below for picture) for comparison.
If we flipped our processes around and made the goal to add as much value as possible to the land adjacent to the arterial rather than to the greenfield land at the end of them, we would end up with very different outcomes.
For example, the first picture is Shaganappi @ 32 Ave N, near Market Mall. The second picture is 15km north, at ~140 Avenue N. The reason we feel we need to add capacity and speed in the first picture is to support the development in the second. Apparently we are totally fine with adding higher density along arterials (as the second picture demonstrates), but only if it's in the middle of nowhere!
If we flipped our processes around, you could fit that entire multi-family development (and then some) directly adjacent to the corridor at 32 Ave - as long as you urbanize it (to some degree) and made the land actually productive. Reduce the speed, width and cross section, add sidewalks and apartment blocks. Instead of sitting on the Shaganappi right-of-way for eventually expansion (for 50 years so far, another 50 years before expansion is complete), of zero tax revenue and all this time paying for the operating cost to cut the grass you could convert it to productive land. Not to mention, we also just gave options to reduce some Shaganappi commutes, GHG, energy usage for commuting by 15km each way, each day forever.
Would it be easy? Of course not - I would guess near-impossible is more likely. But the long term value is there if we could figure out how to break all the rules, processes, and politics that make Shaganappi an acceptable answer for our suburban arterials but Eglinton not acceptable.
Shaganappi @ 32 Ave NW - 27,000 vehicles / day.
Shaganappi @ ~140 Ave NW
Eglinton (Toronto) - 29,000 vehicles/day