Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills PC candidate Darcy Davis said he will push as hard as he can for the planned Highway 2/27 interchange upgrade to return to the front of Alberta Transportation's project queue.
“If it is just a one-year push back or just for a short term, we would be able to start on it again next year,” Davis said.
Davis was at the Town of Olds policies and priorities meeting last Tuesday to ask council to identify concerns and priorities for the town.
Council immediately identified the interchange upgrade as its main concern.
“We never really did get a good reason why (it was pulled),” said Mayor Judy Dahl.
Town administration learned at the beginning of February that the interchange upgrade had been pulled. Town officials had expected work on the interchange to be done this summer, as the last Alberta Transportation three-year budget had specific items pertaining to the project.
“On the overpass, I have not got really more answers than you on that,” said Davis.
“I have been trying to get hold of the minister to find out if complaints were part of the reason or the design is something that is the reason for holding it up.”
At an Alberta Transportation open house held last July, residents had been informed that the updated interchange would consist of two roundabouts and an on- and off-ramp for both southbound and northbound Highway 2 traffic. These on- and off-ramps would meet at roundabouts on the west and east sides of the existing overpass that spans Highway 2.
Coun, Wade Bearchell used the occasion to express concerns with the proposed upgrade.
“We have got how many different overpass configurations going on this province? Why do we have to have that?” he said.
“Why can't we have something that works for the type of equipment that is going to be using that, particularly farmers?”
Coun. Arvin Bull proposed that the updated interchange be set up like the Didsbury interchange.
“I don't think we need to experiment with any traffic circles. It just needs some very simple changes,” he said.
Davis said he would follow up on why the upgrade design had been chosen.
“We will have to talk to engineers. I am sure they have some reasons why,” he said.
When contacted, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills Wildrose Party candidate Bruce Rowe said he had not heard about the interchange upgrade being pulled.
“This has been on the books for some time, as I understand it,” he said.
“That is a surprise that they would pull that.”
