Mountain View County Reeve Bruce Beattie believes the province's current financial woes don't bode well for hopes to see much-needed upgrades to the decades-old QE II and Highway 27 intersection east of Olds.
Responding to Premier Alison Redford's recent TV address, when she said the province is facing significant financial pressures, Reeve Beattie said he is not expecting new provincial funding to be made available for the intersection upgrade any time soon.
“Certainly the messaging that we are getting (from the province) relative to budgeting is not demonstrating that they are going to put a lot of money into projects,” Beattie told the Gazette. “I think the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Ric McIvor, recognizes the need, but he's limited with his budget. Highway 63 (in northern Alberta) seems to be a priority.
“Premier Redford is setting a stage for, I think, running a deficit or borrowing to maintain programs.”
Both MVC and the Town of Olds have been calling on the province to make major changes to the intersection, which Beattie says is a dangerous and out-of-date interchange.
“It's a safety concern. With all the traffic that is flowing along there, it is a very poorly designed and a dangerous intersection,” he said.
During the 2012 Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and County's annual general conference in Edmonton in November, Reeve Beattie told Alberta Infrastructure Minister Ric McIvor the government needs to address safety concerns with the intersection.
“He told us that it is on the list, but when they will do it, he couldn't tell us. They recognize the importance of it (changes). It is a priority, but where it fits on the list of priorities is the question,” he said.
Despite the province's current financial woes, the county will continue to press for money to upgrade the intersection, he said.
“We haven't heard back from them but we will be pursuing it some more,” he said. “We will be getting back to the minister again and seeking some answers. We will try to convince them that this is a priority. We want to get this back on the agenda.”
The QEII-Highway 27 intersection at Olds is a much older design than others along the busy highway, including those at Didsbury, Innisfail and Carstairs.
