The Village of Cremona council has come out in support of Mountain View County’s call for the province to reconsider plans for a proposed overweight, oversized vehicle route in the district.
The move came during the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
The route would run along Highway 580 through Cremona and would handle large vehicle traffic.
The county requested the village provide a letter of support calling for further discussions with Alberta Transportation and the minister on a possible alternative route.
In 2018 the provincial government undertook a provincewide planning study titled High Load Corridor Network for over-size and over-weight loads in Alberta.
“The purpose of the study area was to take a longterm, holistic approach for updating and developing Alberta’s high load corridor,” Mountain View County reeve Bruce Beattie said in a letter to the village council.
“The study proposed a high load corridor connection between Highway 791 and Highway 22 through Mountain View County. The east-west connection was proposed to be via Highway 581 and Highway 580 using Rge. Rd. 13 to connect the two provincial routes and bypass Carstairs.”
Following the report’s release, the county asked Alberta Transportation to consider an alternative route due to three main factors:
• Traffic impacts and turning logistics on Rge. Rd. 13 near Carstairs.
• The intersection of Highway 2A and Highway 580 that involves an angled crossing with a busy secondary provincial highway.
• Immediate set of railway tracks and the section of Highway 580 that bisects the downtown portion of the Village of Cremona includes many low-hanging overhead power lines.
The county’s alternative proposal would see Alberta Transportation take over control of Twp. Rd. 292, which is currently under the control of Mountain View and Rocky View counties, and add it to the provincial highway network.
“Highway 292, also known as the Acme Road, is a well-known and travelled route that due to its location, and direct alignment, provides a safer and more effective route for a potential high load corridor,” he said.
The county has asked municipal councils in the district, including the Village of Cremona, to provide letters of support “to further our discussions on alternative routes with Alberta Transportation staff and the minister of the department.”
Council instructed administration to prepare the letter of support and forward it to the county.
