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By Chris Brown

Taber to Burdett

Medicine Hat left out of Highway 3 twinning project

Jul 2, 2020 | 10:41 AM

TABER, AB – More of Highway 3 east of Taber will be twinned, but the twinning will not reach Medicine Hat.

Premier Jason Kenney was in Taber on Thursday to announce the 46-kilometre stretch of Highway 3 from Taber to Burdett will be twinned.

The twinning will “make the Crowsnest safer for the nearly 4,000 people who drive this section every day, will boost the efficiency of transportation in the region contributing to long-term growth here in southern Alberta,” Kenney said.

“This is partly about strengthening the ability of the huge agribusiness sector in this region to move its ever-expanding volumes of raw and processed food products to national and international markets,” the premier said.

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Kenney said the $150 million investment will create more than 750 direct and indirect jobs. Planning and design work will begin immediately and construction will begin next year. It is expected to take about three years to complete.

The government says there will also be key intersection improvements along the highway, in particular at Highway 877 at Grassy Lake. Realignments will also be done at Grassy Lake and Purple Springs, Transportation Minister Ric McIver said.

A petition for the twinning was launched in March by the Highway 3 Twinning Development Association.

“Our southern Alberta economic contribution is significant,” reads a statement by the association released at the time. “Getting our products to market is a provincial and national benefit as is the importance of ensuring our truckers, farmers, tourists and commuter do not take their life in their hands.”

Kenney added this kind of investment is a magnet for large companies, pointing to Cavendish Farms, which opened a $430 million plant near Lethbridge last year.

On Monday the province revealed its Economic Recovery Plan, which is largely focused on a $10 billion investment in infrastructure.