No. H148/05
For release - June 27, 2005
EDMONTON - Another 50 kilometres of four-lane road on Highway 43 will open to traffic by the end of this year's construction season, beginning with a 14-kilometre stretch that will open this month.
Highway 43 forms the northwest leg of Alberta's North-South trade corridor and runs 432 kilometres from its junction with Highway 16, west of Edmonton, to Grande Prairie. The Alberta government will invest approximately $52 million in the highway in 2005, bringing the total investment in Highway 43 to $450 million over the past six years. The federal government will also be investing $29 million in the highway under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program.
"The twinning of Highway 43 will improve the safety and efficiency of this important North American trade corridor," said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Ann McLennan on behalf of Jean-C. Lapierre, federal Minister of Transport. "It demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment to working with its provincial partners to strengthen highway infrastructure across the country."
A 14-kilometre segment of newly twinned highway, between Cherhill and Glenevis, will open to traffic by the end of June, followed by another 36 kilometres by the end of the 2005 construction season. That will leave only 56 kilometres of two-lane road remaining along the highway. The province will undertake twinning the remaining 56 kilometres this year, with completion scheduled for fall 2007.
"Continuing to twin Highway 43 is a major step toward completing the North-South trade corridor," said Dr. Lyle Oberg, Minister of Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation. "This vital highway link fosters the north-south movement of goods and supports Alberta's growing trade with the United States and Mexico."
The North-South trade corridor will be a continuous 1,175-kilometre, four-lane highway link from the Alberta-Montana border at Coutts, to the British Columbia-Alberta border, west of Grande Prairie. The corridor will form part of the greater CANAMEX corridor, which is a highway link from Alaska to Mexico City.
"The continued twinning of Highway 43 is very important to my constituents," said George VanderBurg, MLA for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne. "Twinning will make the highway more efficient and safer for all motorists."
Since there will be numerous construction activities on Highway 43 this summer, motorists are reminded to drive cautiously in construction zones and obey all signs and flag people. Recent amendments to the Traffic Safety Act double the fines for speeding in construction zones.
A backgrounder on the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program is attached.
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Contacts:
Irène MarcheterreDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Minister of Transport, Ottawa(613) 991-0700
Bart JohnsonCommunications DirectorAlberta Infrastructure and Transportation, Edmonton(780) 415-1841
Vera HoliadCommunicationsTransport Canada, Ottawa(613) 993-0055
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/e-news and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
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BACKGROUNDERSTRATEGIC HIGHWAYINFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM - ALBERTA
In the February 2000 budget, 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, the Government of Canada announced the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program. The program has two components: a $500 million highway construction component and a $100 million national system integration component.
Under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, $500 million, including $15 million in administrative costs, is available to address the needs of Canada's highways until March 2006. The program formally began 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 the program. 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 1993, Transport Canada contributed $30 million to Alberta. This brings the total funding from Transport Canada to $76.2 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.
The Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program will also provide $100 million nationally to fund initiatives that 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.
The program continues the Government of Canada's long tradition of highway funding that started more than 80 years ago. In fact, Transport Canada will have invested more than $1.8 billion between 1993 and 2004 to improve highways across Canada. The federal government also invests in transportation-related infrastructure through other programs such as the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund and the Border Infrastructure Fund. On May 9, 2003, the Prime Minister announced $150 million in federal funds to contribute to the construction of ring roads around Calgary and Edmonton.
For more information on the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, please visit www.tc.gc.ca/SHIP/menu.htm.
June 2005
