Twinned Highway 3 section expected to ease congestion on busy farm corridor

“There are still some finishing touches to do,” Reynolds said.

“But it’s come along nicely, and it’s great to see traffic flowing both ways.”

Some work was still underway near Taber, where crews were completing the connection and alignment with the town.

The highway also transitions back to two lanes just after Burdett.

Reynolds said the additional lanes will be particularly beneficial during harvest season, when large farm equipment and heavily loaded trucks are common on the highway.

He said the region’s agricultural industry has changed over the years, with specialty crops such as potatoes bringing more large machinery onto the road. Sugar beet trucks and other commercial vehicles also contribute to traffic volumes.

Some sections of the corridor have service roads that allow agricultural equipment to avoid the highway. However, Reynolds says the additional lanes will provide more room for traffic when large equipment does need to use the road.

He also saw a couple of house moves during his recent trip and said traffic was able to continue moving around the loads.

Something that would have slowed traffic on the highway significantly before the twinning.

Reynolds said the project should help reduce pressure on the highway while making travel safer for motorists, agricultural operators and commercial drivers.

Once all finishing work is complete, the speed limit along the twinned section is expected to be 110 kilometres per hour.

For now, drivers should watch for reduced speed limits in areas where construction work is ongoing.

Attention is turning to the next phase of twinning between Medicine Hat and Whitla.

Reynolds says surveying is already underway, while land acquisition has begun. Utility relocations and other preparatory work are expected next year, with major construction equipment potentially moving onto the project in 2028.

He says Medicine Hat to Whitla is the next section identified for twinning in the provincial budget, although other highway work is also planned elsewhere in southern Alberta, including a realignment near Fort Macleod and further detailed design work west of Brocket.

For now, Reynolds said the opening of the Taber-to-Burdett section marks important progress on a route that carries significant agricultural and commercial traffic.

by Jesse Gill

Twinned Highway 3 section expected to ease congestion on busy farm corridor

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