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Plamondon Connector Road getting spring upgrade

County has received $935K for four infrastructure projects
Plamondon Connector Road
Fort McMurray - Lac La Biche MLA Laila Goodridge met Athabasca County reeve Larry Armfelt and Div. 6 Coun. Penny Stewart on the Plamondon Connector Road Nov. 22 to announce $285,000 through the Municipal Stimulus Program that will be used to stabilize the base of the road in the spring. Heather Stocking/AA

ATHABASCA - It was cold and windy and the traffic from Highway 63 was humming right along, but in this instance, the side of the road was the perfect place for three elected officials to meet to announce funding for the new project in Athabasca County.

Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche MLA Laila Goodridge met with Athabasca County reeve Larry Armfelt and Division 6 councillor Penny Stewart Nov. 22, to record the good news regarding a $285,000 grant from the Municipal Stimulus Program to stabilize the base on the road that runs just over eight kilometres from Highway 63 to Range Road 170 – commonly known as the Plamondon Connector Road – 68 kilometres northeast of Athabasca. 

“This is an important road that connects Athabasca County with Lac La Biche County and it sustained some damage (from) spring flooding and I was actually driving on it and I phoned Coun. Stewart to let her know,” Goodridge said. “And they came in very quickly and worked on it and so, this project we’re working together on this spring is really going to help us ensure that that issue doesn’t happen again.” 

Goodridge added that the project will create jobs and a boost of revenue for the area 20 kilometres north of Grassland. 

“Thank you everyone for our successful effort and initiative from Athabasca County council and our CAO (Ryan Maier) to work with our provincial MLAs to make this happen,” Armfelt said. “It’s a good boost for our municipal infrastructure.” 

The project was submitted as one of several shovel-ready submissions – three of which were fully approved – by Athabasca County for Municipal Stimulus funding and had the support of both Goodridge and Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken as the road connects the two constituencies. 

“This is a very highly used road in our county and it’s very exciting that it will be improved,” Stewart said. “I want to thank you very much and especially (Athabasca County director of infrastructure) Norm De Wet for all his hard work organizing these projects to be submitted for funding.”

The other two fully-funded projects are a road rebuild from Township Road 655.5 to Range Road 185 for $112,500 and a road rebuild from Range Road 204 to Highway 63 at a cost of $225,000. The county also received partial funding for erosion control along Township Road 684 that will cost $500,000, but has received funding for $312,881.

In a Nov. 23 media release, De Wet confirmed all four projects will move forward.

"To date, Athabasca County has received full funding for three out of four projects and we will be taking the remainder ($187,119) out of the funds from municipal reserves," De Wet said. "There is always a lot of work to do and completing these projects will help improve road infrastructure for years to come."

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