Latest news with #TransportationandEconomicCorridors
Edmonton Journal
08-07-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Tuesday's letters: QEII construction bottleneck a drawn-out mess
Someone should lose their job over the roadblock-bottleneck created by a nine-to-five workday repairing a bridge on Alberta's busiest highway. If you have travelled into Edmonton from the south you will know what I mean. Kilometres of backed up traffic slowing traffic to a walking pace heading into the capital city. How frustrating is that? Article content This isn't just for a day or two. It's been weeks since construction started on a bridge near No. 41 turnoff. The worst thing about this major blockage is rarely do you see a construction worker working. Maybe half a dozen roaming around during the daytime hours but nothing after hours or on a weekend. Article content Article content Article content The minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors needs to take a trip to Edmonton from the airport. He will see firsthand the mess this department has created. The irony that this department has 'Economic' in the title does not escape one. This bridge construction is anything but economic — stalling and blocking Alberta's major highway between its two largest cities. The fuel burned getting through this mess certainly is not an positive economic or environment statement for Alberta. Article content Article content Why can this not be a priority and go 24-7 until the job is done? We have the money as I read we have a huge surplus. The millions of travellers passing this bottleneck get frustrated and there are many incidents of road rage. This is summer vacation time. Nice warm welcome to travellers coming to the city. Great way to welcome folks to KDays or a Taste of Edmonton. Article content Article content The city is reviewing the land use bylaw, but has completely ignored the impact these megaplexes/tall houses will have on people whom have invested $30,000 in renewable energy systems (solar panels) and whose investments in green energy will also be devastated if council doesn't add protection to the land use bylaw to protect us from being shaded by new adjacent megaplexes or tall house developments. Article content Millet has such protection. Why don't we? Write council and let them know this is an issue too. Article content Robert Rolf, Edmonton Article content Mayor Sohi's Liberal roots are clearly evident. He shares the I knowwhat's best for you attitude so clearly exemplified by Justin Trudeau's Liberal cabinet, of which he was once a member.
Calgary Herald
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Dreeshen letter to Calgary mayor expresses 'concern' with city's approach to bike lanes
Article content The on-again, off-again debate over bike lanes in Calgary has shifted back into gear, after a provincial cabinet minister penned a letter to Mayor Jyoti Gondek last week suggesting the city should hit the brakes on installing more of the divisive infrastructure. Article content Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen's June 27 letter to Gondek expressed 'concern' with the city's approach to constructing bike lanes at the expense of building road capacity for motor vehicles. Article content Article content Article content 'As our urban populations continue to grow, we need to seriously consider on [sic] how to maintain adequate capacity for motor vehicle traffic flow for current and future traffic needs, not reducing capacity,' Dreeshen wrote to Gondek. Article content Article content 'We are concerned with the impact to our provincial road network and its connectivity to the municipal roads. We are also concerned with future bicycle lanes and other lane-removal initiatives where taxpayer dollars are used to shrink, rather than increase, road capacity for vehicles.' Article content Provincial roads in Calgary include Deerfoot Trail, the ring road (Stoney Trail/Tsuut'ina Trail and Highway 22X) and Highway 8 (Glenmore Trail). The letter follows recent social media posts from Dreeshen panning bike lanes, and a call in April for the City of Edmonton to cancel a $96-million project to install cycling tracks along 30 blocks of 132nd Avenue N. Article content Article content 'As our cities grow, we must expand road capacity, not shrink it,' Dreeshen's office said in a Friday statement. 'Our priority is keeping people and goods moving safely and efficiently.' Article content Gondek responded to Dreeshen with a letter of her own on Thursday, suggesting the two should meet this summer to discuss Calgarians' transportation needs. Article content Traffic flow remains 'one of the top concerns I hear from Calgarians,' Gondek wrote in the letter, which did not suggest either opposition or support toward bike lanes. Article content 'As the economic engine of the province and the fastest growing city in Canada, Calgary must find thoughtful ways to keep people moving – whether they're commuting to work, heading out for dinner, or shopping at local businesses,' she wrote. Article content 'Let's work together to explore practical solutions that balance the needs of all road users and support Alberta's continued growth and mobility.' Article content Bicycle lanes have been hotly debated in Calgary for years, with opponents arguing they are underutilized by cyclists, unsafe and increase traffic congestion by reducing the number of car-dedicated lanes. Article content The discussion ramped up in 2015, when the city removed street parking or vehicular lanes in the core to install 6.5 kilometres of protected cycle tracks. The downtown cycling lanes, which were separated from the vehicular roadways by a protective barrier, were installed along 12th Avenue, 8th Avenue and 9th Avenue, as well as 5th Street. Article content Although the network was initially a $5.5-million pilot project, city council voted to make the lanes permanent the following year. Article content Council's support of bike lanes has only amplified since then. In 2023, city council approved $56 million to improve Calgary's Pathway and Bikeway Network, 'aiming to offer year-round, healthy, safe, accessible and affordable travel options,' according to a city webpage. Article content Article content 'As part of the Calgary Transportation Plan, we're committed to expanding this network over 60 years by filling gaps, adding features, and supporting various activities such as walking, cycling, and scootering,' the webpage states. Article content 'With over 4,000 kilometres of pathways and bikeways mapped out for the future of travel in Calgary, these new enhancements and paths will foster vibrant, connected communities.' Article content Current projects include developing pathway and bikeway routes in Ward 9, including Marlborough Park, Albert Park Radisson Heights, Penbrooke Meadows, Forest Heights, Forest Lawn, Dover, Southview and Erin Woods; and in Ward 5, including Falconridge, Castleridge, Taradale, Saddle Ridge and Martindale.
Calgary Herald
13-06-2025
- Calgary Herald
Wildlife overpass in Kananaskis named after former premier Peter Lougheed
A new wildlife crossing over the Trans-Canada Highway is being named the Honourable Peter Lougheed Wildlife Overpass, in honour of the former Alberta premier who played a key role in the creation of Kananaskis Country after visiting via helicopter in 1977. Article content Located on Highway 1A near Lac des Arcs in northern Kananaskis, construction of the $17.5-million project began in 2022 and was completed in fall 2024. It was the first overpass of its kind built outside of a national park in Alberta. Article content Article content Article content 'Naming this structure in honour of former premier Lougheed provides a long-lasting reminder of his work to preserve Kananaskis Country for our enjoyment and the safety of the wildlife that roam through the region,' Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen said in a news release on Friday. Article content Article content The crossing supports the Alberta Wildlife Watch program, and is expected to reduce wildlife collisions in the area by 80 per cent. According to the Government of Alberta, animal-vehicle collisions cost Albertans nearly $300,000 per day in property damage and account for roughly 60 per cent of all reported crashes on rural highways. Article content
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Alberta enters agreement to reduce inspection stops for oilfield service rigs
The Alberta government has entered into an agreement to cut down on the number of inspection stops for oilfield service rigs. A new memorandum of agreement with the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors, an industry advocacy group, will integrate drivers into a pre-clearance program, Drivewyze, so approved vehicles can bypass stops at select weigh stations, according to a news release the provincial government issued Thursday. But association members who subscribe to Drivewyze and meet certain safety benchmarks will be exempt from routine stops at vehicle inspection stations, the release said. "When [oil rig service providers] load up essentially the same convoy, it's the same trucks with the same weight, with the same equipment that go from location to location," Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen said during a news conference. "This has been a long-standing industry concern of always having to go to the weight stations." Before this agreement, these rig convoys had to stop at every vehicle inspection station on their route, the news release said. But now, transponders on the trucks would allow them to pass by inspection and weigh stations, Dreeshen said, comparing Drivewyze to the federal Nexus program, which was designed to speed up Canada-U.S. border crossings for low-risk, pre-approved travellers. The agreement will make it easier for the rigs "to spend more time in the field and less time dealing with administrative burdens," Dreeshen said. Mark Scholz, president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors, said the agreement "recognizes the unique transportation requirements that this industry needs." The risk level and portfolio of oilfield service rigs are different from other kinds of rigs, because they spend much more time stationary performing well-serving operations, Scholz said, adding that sometimes, the oilfield service rigs drive as little as 500 kilometres a year. The new agreement "serves as a model for potential alignment with Saskatchewan and Manitoba," the news release said. The Opposition NDP was unable to provide CBC News with a comment on the new agreement before publication.
Calgary Herald
22-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Springbank Off-stream Reservoir now operational, says province
After three years of construction, the controversial Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) is now operational, says the Alberta government. Article content Article content The reservoir, located about 15 kilometres west of Calgary, was built to prevent another flood like the one Calgary and southern Alberta experienced during the June 2013 floods. Five people died in the catastrophic floods, which caused more than $5 billion in damages. Article content Article content The SR1 will only hold water during a flood, when it will divert water from the Elbow River and release it back into the river once there's no longer a flood risk. Article content Article content When the Elbow's water level rises, SR1's 4.7-kilometre long, 24-metre wide diversion channel will move water to the off-stream storage reservoir, which can store more than 70 million cubic metres of water about 28,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Article content 'With flood season now upon us, Calgary and southern Alberta can rest assured that they will be protected from future large-scale floods like that of 2013,' said Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen in a Wednesday statement. 'SR1's innovative design will ensure people, communities and businesses are buffered from the most devastating physical and economic impacts of major floods.' Article content Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said Calgarians remember 'all too well' the devastation caused by the 2013 floods, but added the SR1's completion 'marks a turning point.' Article content Article content 'The completion of SR1 means we are better prepared, more resilient and actively protecting people, property and prosperity,' said Gondek in a Wednesday statement. Article content Last week, the city's river engineering leader said the SR1 will work in tandem with the Glenmore Reservoir, which doubled its own water storage capacity in 2020, and its added capacity has drastically reduced the chances of flooding along the Elbow River. Article content The SR1 cost an estimated $849.4 million, a figure that includes land purchases, the province says. Article content The Alberta government is footing $680.9 million of that bill, and the federal government is contributing $168.5 million. Article content The province's share has jumped over $100 million from the estimate provided by former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney three years ago. In 2022, Kenney said the province would pay $576 million for the SR1 which itself was a 25 per cent increase over the highest estimate at the time of $432 million.
