Premier Danielle Smith announces RFPs have been issued for the twinning of Highway 3 between Taber and Burdett on Nov. 25, 2022. (Photo Courtesy Gates Guarin)

By Chris Brown & Gates Guarin

Request for proposals issued for twinning of Highway 3 from Taber to Burdett

Nov 25, 2022 | 1:40 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The Alberta government says it is moving forward on the twinning of Highway 3 from Taber to Burdett, more than two years after the project was first announced by then-premier Jason Kenney.

Premier Danielle Smith was in Medicine Hat today to announce that a request for proposals has been issued to three bidders and hopes construction will start on the 46-kilometre stretch early next year.

Even though the twinning has been both a safety and transportation concern for some time, Devin Dreeshen, minister of transportation and economic corridors, says the premier made this a priority for himself and his team when he was appointed minister.

“This Highway 3 corridor is a very important stretch…in agriculture and also in oil and gas, so expanding it was really the top mandate that I got from the premier and that’s why we’re here today.”

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The twinning fulfills a campaign promise made by Smith after successfully running for the empty constituency seat in Brooks-Medicine Hat.

Smith says the highway is filled with big commercial trucks and local traffic and twinning this section of highway will make travel safer for families and all vehicles. She added increased traffic capacity ensures businesses can get raw materials and move products to market more efficiently.

“I know that with the recovery in the economy, it feels like it has not hit this region quite yet, and I think we have to do what we can to send a signal to the business investment community that we’re going to do the investments that are necessary for them to be able to relocate down here,” Smith says.

She adds, “If we can create the transportation infrastructure to help this entire region grow, then that’s the job we’ve got to do.”

Smith also thanked the Highway 3 Twinning Development Association for keeping pressure on the provincial government to sign off on the upgrade.

This is the first phase of a multi-year project to twin all of Highway 3, with the next phase focused on the Highway 3X/Coleman Bypass.

Phase 3 is the 15 kilometres between Seven Persons and Medicine Hat. In a news release, the province says functional planning studies have been completed and detailed engineering design will begin in spring 2023.

The eight phases

• Phase 1: 46 kilometres – A request for proposals has been issued to the shortlisted design build proponents to twin Highway 3 between Taber and Burdett. Construction is expected to start in 2023.
• Phase 2: 10 kilometres – Highway 3X/Coleman Bypass. Functional planning studies have been completed and detailed engineering design will begin in spring 2023.
• Phase 3: 15 kilometres – East of Seven Persons to Medicine Hat. Functional planning studies have been completed and detailed engineering design will begin in spring 2023.
• Phase 4: 47 kilometres – Blairmore to east of Highway 6 at Pincher Creek. Functional planning studies have been completed and detailed engineering design will begin in 2023.
• Phase 5: 28 kilometres – East of Bow Island to east of Seven Persons. Functional planning studies have been completed and detailed engineering design will begin in summer 2023.
• Phase 6: 23 kilometres – East of Burdett to east of Bow Island. A functional planning study has been completed and the province will continue to consult with the Town of Bow Island and other stakeholders in order to finalize the alignment.
• Phase 7: 38 kilometres – Pincher Creek to west of Fort Macleod. A functional planning study through Piikani Nation is underway and will continue for some time.
• Phase 8: Eight kilometres – Alberta-B.C. border to Highway 3X. Continued engagement with B.C. is necessary to consider alignment with improvements being planned through the B.C. portion.

Several others were in attendance to take in the Premier’s announcement, including Mayor Linnsie Clark, Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner MP Glen Motz and Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes, who says the news is welcome to areas outside of the big cities in the province.