The Alberta government is reaffirming its 2020 commitment to twinning a stretch of Highway 3 in southern Alberta while outlining its plan to see the entire corridor that runs between Medicine Hat and the British Columbia border twinned.
Originally announced in 2020 by then-premier Jason Kenney, the $150 million project to twin a 46-kilometre stretch of the highway between Taber and Burdett was part of a $10 billion infrastructure investment announced at the time by the provincial government.
On Nov. 25, the province recommitted to the project.
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Tenders for the 46-kilometre project scheduled to be completed by 2023 have been posted.
Bill Chapman, president of the Highway 3 Twinning Development Association, said what’s new in the latest government announcement is the commitment to see the whole Alberta portion of the highway twinned.
“Today’s announcement was a reflection of what really needs to take place in terms of the whole corridor and its economic viability for the province of Alberta,” he said.
While no additional funding was announced, Chapman said, “I would hope the government would follow up on that goal and I think today’s announcement is really a reflection of what needs to be taking place.”
Advocates for the twinning project have said the project will have a positive impact on improving the agri-processing corridor between Medicine Hat and Lethbridge while increasing safety.
In total, Alberta has identified eight phases of the complete twinning with 15 additional kilometres identified to be twinned in the first four phases along the Taber-Medicine Hat section. A total of 57 kilometres between Blairmore and Pincher Creek round out the first half with all of them scheduled to have engineering design beginning in the spring of 2023.
Phases 5 through 8 will see the remaining 79 kilometres twinned with most of those sections requiring more consultations and functional planning.
The entire project is expected to take at least a decade to complete.
Contact alex.mccuaig@producer.com
