DIDSBURY - Council has approved a major $1.5 million intersection improvement project at Highway 582 and 23rd Street, with funding coming from Alberta Transportation and the Canada Community-Building Fund.
The move came by way of motion at the recent, regularly scheduled Town of Didsbury council meeting, held in person and on YouTube.
The upgrade project is projected to be completed in 2023.
“The intersection has reached a milestone,” said the town's chief administrative officer, Ethan Gorner. “The intersection is in need of an improvement to the Type III D intersection to support the current and anticipated traffic volumes. A Type III D intersection adds turning lanes in all four directions.
Alberta Transportation has committed to funding 50 per cent to the cost to a maximum of $750,000, he said.
“The remaining amount, up to $750,000, will be funded from the Canada Community-Building Fund. The town has a current available balance of $737,000, plus the 2023 allocation of approximately $300,000, allowing over $1,000,000 in the fund to pay for the remainder of the project,” he said.
Administration is now seeking to implement the memorandum of agreement with Alberta Transportation and officially engage engineering services for the project, he said.
“The intent is to release the tender in mid-February 2023 so the project is finalized before the completion date (Dec. 31, 2023) and within budget,” he said.
The Canada Community-Building Fund is a source of funding provided to provinces and territories, that in turn flow the funding to municipalities in support of local infrastructure priorities, according to the Infrastructure Canada website.
During the recent Alberta Municipalities Association convention, Town of Didsbury Mayor Rhonda Hunter met with Alberta Minister of Transportation Prasad Panda.
In a follow-up letter received by council at the Nov. 8 council meeting, Panda said, in part, “I appreciate our discussion regarding the importance of Highway 582 within the town of Didsbury, and I understand the challenges with some of the intersections along that corridor.
“As mentioned, land use planning undertaken by the municipality forms the foundation of local growth and sets the stage for collaboration within Alberta Transportation as we work together on this issue.”
Council passed a motion accepting Panda’s letter as information.
Coun. John Baswick did not attend the Nov. 8 council meeting.
