Economic development group pitches highway shortcut between Red Deer, Alta., and Golden, B.C.
Central Alberta communities say safer, lower-level route deserves more study
An Alberta economic development group wants British Columbia to take a second look at a proposal to build a highway shortcut between Red Deer, Alta., and Golden, B.C.
John Vandermeer, the chair of Central Alberta Economic Partnership, told Daybreak South host Chris Walker that a 2005 study estimated the proposed highway link through Howse Pass could take one hour off the travel time between central Alberta and central British Columbia.
"This is a more gentle path to traverse than the Kicking Horse Pass. So there are safety advantages," said Vandermeer, who is also an elected councillor for Clearwater Country which is among the dozens of Alberta municipalities in the partnership.
"There are also operating cost advantages; less fuel being consumed, therefore less vehicle emissions."
B.C. spending priorities
In response to questions about the Alberta proposal, a statement from the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said it was aware of the 2005 proposal.
However, it said the government's spending priorities are focused on maintaining and upgrading the existing bridge and highway network.
Those spending priorities include the Highway 1 four-laning program between Kamloops and the Alberta border at a cost of $1.044 billion over the next three years. They also include a $386-million increase in provincial spending to expand a section of the Kicking Horse Canyon east of Golden later this year.
Vandermeer said the original feasibility study found "significant attractions" for the proposal. The cost of the building the route through Howse Pass was estimated at $200 million, while the economic activity it could generated was estimated at $400 million.
The proposed Howse Pass route begins near the Saskatchewan River Crossing on Highway 93 near the Alberta border.
It would pass through 24 kilometres of Banff National Park, then 42 kilometres along the Blaeberry River to the junction with Highway 1 near Golden.
With population and economic growth on both sides of the provincial border since 2005, Vandermeer said, "we're now talking about much larger economies.
"More people, more goods travelling back and forth. Providing an alternative route for the transmission of people and goods also seems a good idea," he said.
"So after 15 years it seems like a good time to take another look at this."
With files from Daybreak South