Alberta Transportation was still aiming as of last week to have a new access system for motorists entering Highway 2 from Highway 27 finished by Oct. 15, despite looming winter weather and a slowdown in construction at the interchange of the highways.
Construction on upgrades to the interchange did not begin until mid-August and the wrap-up date for the province's contract with Carmacks Enterprises, the construction contractor that won the tender for the project, was Oct. 15.
But Andy Hudson, Alberta Transportation's construction manager for the province's central region, said the contract with Carmacks is based on “usual weather conditions in Alberta.”
“So if the weather's good and they can go beyond (that date), then they'll make the most of it,” he said.
Once the upgrades to the interchange are completed, travellers heading east on Highway 27 will no longer use the current curving off-ramp to enter the northbound lanes of Highway 2.
Instead, a new intersection at the east side of the interchange will allow vehicles to turn left onto a straight ramp that will lead to the northbound Highway 2 lanes.
This change will eliminate current traffic problems caused by vehicles using the same small portion of roadway while entering and exiting Highway 2's northbound lanes beneath the overpass.
And travellers heading westbound on Highway 27 wishing to merge onto the southbound lanes of Highway 2 will no longer use an off-ramp that curves underneath the overpass.
Instead, under the modifications planned for the interchange, those travellers will turn left at a new intersection on the west side of the interchange onto a straight ramp that will lead to Highway 2's southbound lanes. Hudson said the ministry intends to open the new straight ramps and close sections of the interchange that will no longer be used this year, even if some aspects of the project have to wait until the spring.
While the new straight ramps are built and paved, work crews still had to carry out some final touches on the project as of Oct. 11.
Those touches include a need to resurface Highway 27 to make room for the new left-turn lanes, the replacement of a barrier between the east and westbound lanes on that highway, the completion of road markings and some paving.
Since colder weather can slow down or stop paving activities, some minor aspects of the project, such as smoothing out bumps at the “joint” where the new on-ramps meet Highway 2, may receive temporary fixes for the winter before permanent completion next year, Hudson said.
“They're going to feather that joint to make it safe for use over winter,” he said. “We're just making the area winter ready in case we get caught by the weather.”
Hudson added the province is still looking at a $2-million price tag for the entire project.
The province announced the upgrade project in April to address safety concerns about weaving vehicles, poor visibility and a lack of space to accelerate while merging onto Highway 2 at the interchange.
According to provincial statistics for a period between 2007 and 2011, there was one fatal collision at the interchange as well as 18 collisions where people were injured and 77 collisions where vehicles or property were damaged.
The province has stated these current upgrades are a short-term solution to the safety concerns and it still has a long-term plan for the interchange.
A previous long-term plan for the interchange was estimated to cost roughly $15 million and included the construction of two roundabouts on Highway 27 on the west and east sides of the overpass spanning Highway 2 as well as an on- and off-ramp for both southbound and northbound Highway 2 traffic.
The project would have taken roughly three years to finish with a completion date of 2015.
Alberta Transportation has stated the current upgrades on the interchange will still allow for long-term improvements down the road.
