EDMONTON — The Alberta government is highlighting 2022 as a major year for highway upgrade work.
A news release from the province stated Alberta invested $1.6 billion into 203 projects, with the 2022 budget committing $7.3 billion through the Transportation and Economic Corridors capital plan, including $1.64 billion for planning, design and construction of twinning, widening and expansion of roads and bridges, $1.58 billion for maintenance and renewal for highway and bridge rehabilitation and replacement projects and $569.6 million for water management and flood mitigation protection.
Approximately $3.5 billion has been earmarked for capital grants to municipalities.
The news release highlighted the West Calgary Ring Road project where construction continues on the remaining portion between Highway 8 and the Trans-Canada Highway. The project also includes the South Bow River Bridge, which is scheduled for completion by 2024.
Once finished the Calgary Ring Road will provide 101 kilometres of free-flow travel.
The majority of work on the southwest portion of the Anthony Henday Drive in Edmonton, valued at about $125 million, was completed in fall 2022, with 10 per cent left for 2023.
In southern Alberta major upgrading and maintenance work took place at a cost of $7.3 million on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway southbound between Veterans Boulevard in Airdrie and Balzac, with similar work on Stoney Trail west of Deerfoot Trail including paving, the installation of guardrails, signs and rumble strips, and line painting.
The release reported reconstruction of Highway 817 between Bow River and Highway 901 is 85 per cent complete, including a realignment of the Highway 24 connector, as well as guardrail installation, illumination, signs, rumble strips and line painting at a cost of $25.6 million.
In the Peace Region, the Highway 2 Arch Bridge was rehabilitated over the past two years costing $36 million and Phase I of Highway 40 twinning between the City of Grande Prairie and Wapiti River began in 2021 and is estimated for completion by early fall 2023.
Central Alberta’s projects included Phase I of Highway 11 twinning, which the Alberta government said is 95 per cent complete with the highway fully open to traffic. Phase 1 involved twinning of Highway 1 south of Sylvan Lake along with two new roundabouts at the intersections of Highway 781 and Range Road 15.
A new roundabout west of Bentley at the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 12 is 80 per cent complete and fully open to traffic and construction work is mostly complete on the access improvements and grading for the new rest area located on the southbound side of Highway 2 at Wolf Creek, north of Lacombe.
In the north central region of Alberta $108 million was invested for twinning of three kilometres of Highway 15 through Fort Saskatchewan as well as construction of a new bridge and $23 million was invested in Hangingstone Bridge on Highway 63 in the Fort McMurray area, including highway realignment and the completion of a new bridge.
Around $247 million was also invested in water projects as the Jensen Dam located south of Magrath was upgraded including improvements to the concrete spillway and construction of an emergency spillway.
It still feels that not much has been done, the quality of most Highways deteriorates much quicker than a repair is done.