Westlock residents got their first look at the planned improvements for Highway 18 and Highway 44 last week – but they are still not scheduled to be built in the next three years.
The Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors (TEC) presented their plans at the Westlock and District Community Hall on June 24, with detailed diagrams on how they will improve the highways that run through the town. Key engineers and developers were spaced out around the venue to answer any questions the public may have.
The proposed improvements for these highways have been contemplated since 2010, when the province had a study conducted by Al-Terra to determine the traffic conditions, key improvement points and existing developments.
The improvements would include increasing both highways to two through travel lanes in each direction within the town, adding more passing capabilities and distributing the flow of traffic. They would also be adding traffic lights at certain conflict points as it is the safest way to accommodate movements in all directions.
The plan includes new service roads to support access management to range roads and properties, reconstructing the highways with concrete pavement and improving existing service roads to accommodate large trucks.
The plans are not in the current three-year construction program, but it is possible to advance the construction schedule. According to Landon Reppert, the north-central region construction manager for TEC, whether it proceeds as one project or several individual projects is still up in the air. Regardless, “The construction will take several years to complete, like at a minimum three years,” he said.
During construction, travellers can expect lane restrictions, traffic management and slowdowns. The specific restrictions are the responsibilities of the contractor, who has not been chosen at this time.
Reppert said that while they may stipulate some conditions in the contract, residents will see “in many places where it's currently two lanes, it likely would be down to one lane in each direction and then likely speed reductions whether it's 30 km/h or 50 km/h…”
The budget of the project is currently unknown – only the funding for the current engineers, land acquisition and utility adjustments have been calculated.
“We're not asking for funding from the town or the county or other private investors," said Reppert. "It's a project that would be one hundred per cent funded by the [provincial] government.”
Many residents provided feedback and concerns for the project to the TEC privately. A second open house will be held in the coming months to discuss and mitigate the concerns raised in the feedback surveys.
The TEC department will also be holding one-on-one interviews with anyone impacted by the proposed developments including landowners, school boards, residents and businesses. The utility companies will be consulted to identify the impacts and make adjustments if needed.
