No. H128/02For release - November 28, 2002
EDMONTON — David Kilgour, Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) and MP (Edmonton Southeast), on behalf of Transport Minister David Collenette, together with George VanderBurg, MLA for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne, on behalf of Alberta Transportation Minister Ed Stelmach, today announced that the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta will contribute joint funding of $63 million for improvements to Highway 43 northwest of Edmonton. The funding falls under the Canada/Alberta Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP).
Highway 43 is part of the CANAMEX trade corridor running through Alberta to the United States and Mexico and is a gateway to the Alaska and MacKenzie highways. The funding announced today will be used to twin approximately 50 kilometres of the highway from Greencourt to Glenevis, close a number of at-grade intersections, improve other intersections, and build new bridges to carry the two new lanes.
Under the SHIP agreement, the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta are providing joint funding of $92.4 million until March 2006 for highway improvement projects in the province. The Canada/Alberta SHIP agreement, signed August 23, 2001, is part of the national $600 million SHIP program announced by Mr. Collenette in April 2001.
"Highway 43 is a key part of Alberta's road system, with growing traffic volumes and a high proportion of trucks," said Mr. Kilgour. "This project will contribute to greater public safety, increase capacity and facilitate economic development in Alberta."
"The Government of Canada is providing $29 million from the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program for this project to improve safety and promote a more efficient flow of goods and services," said Mr. Collenette. "Our government is committed to working in partnership with other levels of government to deliver much-needed transportation improvements throughout Canada."
"Funding from the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP) allows the province to undertake this twinning project sooner than anticipated," said Mr. VanderBurg. "This project is a further step toward completing the North-South Trade Corridor, an efficient and safe highway link supporting Alberta's rapidly growing trade with the United States and Mexico."
Funding for this project was provided for in the December 2001 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing financial framework.
A backgrounder with further information on SHIP is attached.
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Contacts:
Anthony PolciDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Minister,Ottawa (613) 991-0700
Trent BancarzCommunicationsAlberta Ministry of Transportation(780) 427-0623(Dial 310-0000 for toll free connection within Alberta)
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BACKGROUNDER
STRATEGIC HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM - ALBERTA
In the February 2000 budget speech, the Government of Canada committed to improve the economy and the quality of life for Canadians by investing up to $600 million over five years in highway infrastructure across Canada. In April 2001, Transport Minister David Collenette announced the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP). The program has two components: a $500 million highway construction component and a $100 million national system integration component.
Under the program, $500 million, including $15 million for administrative costs, will be available to address the needs of Canada's highways until March 2006. The program formally begins in fiscal year 2002-2003. The Government of Canada is working with the provinces and territories to identify those parts of the national highway system that - because of growing traffic and increasing trade-need immediate attention. This will result in a safer and more efficient highway system for all Canadians.
An allocation formula has been developed to distribute the $485 million available to the provinces and territories for road construction under SHIP. The formula consists of a minimum of $4 million per jurisdiction plus a share based on population and a 50-50 cost-sharing ratio. Under this formula, the total federal allocation for the Province of Alberta is $46.2 million. Under previous joint highway funding agreements since 1987, Transport Canada contributed $41 million to Alberta. This brings the total funding from Transport Canada to $87.2 million.
An environmental assessment that meets the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act will be undertaken before this project begins. Funding for the project is conditional on the results of this assessment.
SHIP will also provide $100 million nationally to fund initiatives which better integrate the transportation system. These include the deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems across Canada, improvements to border crossings and better transportation planning. Intelligent Transportation Systems include applications such as advanced systems for traveller information, traffic management, public transport, commercial vehicle operations, emergency response management and vehicle safety.
