Thanks to multi-front lobbying activities of Council and senior leadership, combined with a goundswell of public and industry support, the MD moved the needle on this matter.
In late February 2023, Reeve Kerik received confirmation from Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen that the MD was approved for $1,652,850.00 to begin the initial stages of the Smith Bridge rebuild project.
A separate application for $871,830.00 to offset the cost of interim repair work was also approved by the Province, reflecting a total commitment of $2,524,680.00 toward the Smith Bridge in 2023.
Highway 88 is becoming increasingly unsafe for industry, residents and visitors alike. Despite the recently-erected "Investing in Abertans" placards, there is no substantive plan to improve this economic corridor. We are asking our provincial partners to address this critical issue before it causes greater economic harm and costs more lives.
Highway 88 runs north from the Town of Slave Lake toward Wabasca and Red Earth. The highway is an important corridor for the oil & gas and forestry sectors; facilitates the transport of goods and services to remote outlying regions; and provides recreational traffic access to Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park.
Currently, Highway 88 is in a state of severe disrepair. The highway experienced back-to-back major floods in 2018 and 2019 that led to major washouts. While these washouts have been repaired, numerous other sections are riddled with potholes, crumbling shoulders, and cracking and heaving of the asphalt.
These deficiencies further erode the safety of a road that is already very narrow with hardly any shoulder. 2021 traffic counts from Alberta Transportation state that Highway 88 sees approximately 2000 AADT in each direction. Traffic has substantially increased over the prior year due to the continued rapid expansion of the Clearwater Oilfield. The Province and the MD both stand to benefit from the Clearwater oil play; however, if access becomes diminished or difficult, then it will be a net loss for all involved.
The MD wrote to Minister of Transportation Ric McIver in 2021 requesting to know what the plan was for rehabilitation of this highway. The Minister’s response was that there was no plan.
Data provided by local service providers states that emergency responders attend approximately 19 calls per year on this stretch of highway. That is an average
of almost two calls per month. The increase in large truck and heavy equipment traffic will only push this number upward — especially when combined with the present poor road conditions.
PRIMARY CONCERNS
- Transportation infrastructure is heavily utilized by industry, and it is nearing the point of failure at critical junctures
- Failure to address the region’s infrastructure decay will lead to productivity decline, squandered opportunities, and capped economic development potential
