In 2023, the Province underwrote a STIP investment of $1,652,850 representing three quarters of the preliminary engineering, design and permitting and site selection study costs of this project. 

A separate STIP application for $2,000,000 was approved in 2024 to leverage the design and subsequent project cost estimates for replacement of this vital corridor.

To date, the Province has invested a total of $3,652,850 into this project, and the MD has invested and/or committed to $2,568,573 since 2020.

Working with Minister Dreeshen and our provincial partners, we have secured the necessary funding contributions for the replacement process studies of the bridge structure and completed essential pre-planning and design work. We are sincerely grateful to Minister Dreeshen and his ministry team for the leadership role they have played in achieving these milestones. We look forward to their continued commitment to this project as it moves to the next phase.

With the preliminary and detailed design phases either complete or in process, we are now focused on getting this bridge built. Construction is scheduled to be tendered in 2026, with work commencing in 2026 and concluding by 2027. This timeline hinges on the continued financial backing of the Province, coupled with the MD’s ability to sustainably meet its own obligations.

Council is hopeful that, by negotiating — and committing to — a workable funding formula and/or process, all parties will be better equipped to plan; uphold accountabilities; and ensure resource allocations align with fiscal and temporal constraints.

A Binding and Proportionate Commitment

Pre-engineering studies estimate replacement costs at $88 million. The present STIP formula dictates that the MD would absorb 25% of this cost ($22 million). This is simply a non-starter for a rural municipality with a residential tax base of just 2,800. It would place disproportionate pressure on the MD to reallocate revenue from other operational areas to meet this obligation — at the cost of other infrastructure maintenance and replacement priorities. 

Our position is that all options should be on the negotiating table, from staggering provincial funding over several years to reducing the MD’s cost obligation. In this spirit, Council urges Minister Dreeshen to view this matter under a different lens.

The Smith Bridge is integral to supporting key industrial sectors that drive Alberta’s economy. Lesser Slave River is home to the most lucrative heavy oil play in North America, in addition to one of the most profitable and sustained forestry plays in the world. Our key forestry producers Tolko, West Fraser and Vanderwell paid the Province over $157 million in stumpage fees over the past five years. Oil & gas royalties are harder to calculate by region; however, oil production in the Lesser Slave River region ranked fifth in the province last year, yielding approximately five million cubic meters. Given that oil & gas provides more than a quarter of Alberta’s annual revenue, the contribution of our producers to Alberta’s bottom line is significant.

Heavy industry in our municipality injects hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes, stumpage fees and royalties into the provincial coffers each year. One could argue that these producers help fund many critical infrastructure projects across Alberta each year. The absence of these provincial revenues would certainly be felt with even a moderate reduction in output.  

By these measures, the Smith Bridge rebuild project merits consideration as a special case for provincial grant funding. If undertaken now, this would represent an investment in significant cost savings, risk reduction and economic growth — both at the local and province-wide level over the long term. By working with the Province to arrive at a fair and proportionate funding arrangement, we can safeguard a critical linchpin in our economic corridor and ensure the sustained output of our heavy industry producers.

“We seek a stable financial foundation for the Smith Bridge construction phase. This will help ensure the accountability of all stakeholders, including municipal leaders, government partners, industry stakeholders, and the community at large.”

-Reeve Murray Kerik

The background information on this initiative will be updated following the Rural Municipalities of Alberta 2023 Fall Convention (November 6 – 9, 2023). Thank you for your patience.

The Smith Bridge is located on the north side of the Hamlet of Smith crossing the Athabasca River. Built in 1944 and finished in 1945, the structure is approximately 228m long, 5.5m wide, and a vertical height of 4.7m. Historical issues include sloughing of the north abutment; erosion gullies on both abutments; and horizontal cross brace damage due to oversized load collisions. Recent inspections, including a 2021 scour survey, have found significant deterioration of pier 3. The current alignment makes this pier extremely susceptible to debris accumulations, requiring near-constant monitoring and periodic debris removal at the expense of the MD.

In early 2016, the Clearwater Oil Formation was discovered in the Marten Hills region of the MD. Highway 2A via the Smith Bridge provides one of the easiest access points to Clearwater — currently the most productive and lucrative heavy oil play in North America. In addition to the MD’s robust oil & gas sector, there is a significant forestry industry thriving in the Lesser Slave River region. The Government of Alberta benefits from royalties and stumpage fees to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

The Smith Bridge reached the end of its service life in 2022; however, in January of 2022 the Alberta Government extended its life to 2034. Estimated replacement costs for a two-lane open-top bridge, plus the required repairs to the alignment and north slope, range from $70 to $100 million. Provincial funding for this project would eliminate a major barrier to industrial expansion and continued economic stability in the region. The bridge needs $553,000 IN URGENT REPAIRS in order to remain operational for an additional 4 to 5 years.

In November of 2022, the MD submitted two STIP grant applications to the provincial government. The first application was to fund urgent repairs necessary to maintain the operation of the Smith Bridge, while the second application was to initiate the design process for replacing the bridge.