Highway 40 is about to become a little safer for drivers in the area. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley was in Grande Prairie on Friday to announce her Government’s plans to twin Highway 40. County Reeve Leanne Beaupre says she’s excited it’s finally happening.
“We’ve done an awful lot of work trying to bring the awareness, to not only ministers and the Premier but to everybody else, of the importance of investing in this area. It’s pretty gratifying to know that they’ve listened, they’ve heard and they’re going to make that ivestment.”
The plan is to twin 19 kilometres of the highway starting at the city limits at 68 Avenue to the Norbord Plant in the MD of Greenview. There will also be a second bridge built to cross the river with a pedestrian path.
Beaupre says she’s been working on this project for the last three years, but has really pushed for action in the last year due to safety concerns with the current road.
“If there happens to be any type of an incident or an accident, traffic is backed up and the minute there’s a little bit of inclimate weather, there’s a really issue going down the hill. This is going to make a lot of difference for those that work on the other side of the river. Their travel time is going to be reduced and the fact that their families will know that they should be able to make it home safe and sound.”
At the event, Notley also announced that a full interchange would be build at the intersection of Highway 43 and 43X following the opening of the bypass next summer.
As it stands now, the planning and design phases of the twinning project are underway. Construction is expected to begin after 2021 and should take two years to finish. It is estimated to cost around $90,000,000 to $110,000,000.