This release was issued under a previous government.
The $100 million investment in the Queen Elizabeth II Highway interchange with Gaetz Avenue in Red Deer will improve traffic flow and safety for travellers, local residents and businesses. The project is expected to create hundreds of jobs over the next three years. It is projected to be completed in time for Red Deer to host the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
“Alberta families and businesses deserve safe, modern and efficient roads, highways and bridges. In the past when oil prices fell, governments slashed funding for infrastructure. Albertans paid the price for these short-sighted cuts in longer commutes and lost opportunity. We will not repeat those mistakes. Our Alberta Jobs Plan moves Alberta forward with significant investments in critical infrastructure that will create jobs and build a more resilient economy.”
Most recent traffic counts show 42,000 vehicles a day travelling the QEII in both directions at the existing interchange with Gaetz Avenue.
“This Gaetz Avenue-QEII interchange is one of hundreds of projects that will help provide improved, safer, more efficient travel for all Alberta highway users. With interest rates at historic lows and our economy and families in need of jobs and support, there is no better time to invest for the future.”
“We are very pleased to see the Government of Alberta moving forward with this project. Improvements to the QEII interchange with Gaetz Avenue will greatly enhance safety and improve access for residents in both the city and the county. The foresight of this investment means the interchange will be complete in time for the 2019 Canada Winter Games, providing easier, safer travel for visitors and athletes alike.”
“Our industry commends the Premier and Government for making such a significant investment in infrastructure, which will lead to thousands of jobs for unemployed Albertans. The new interchange and all of the highway construction work being planned also supports hundreds of small, medium and large businesses both directly and indirectly involved in all of Alberta’s construction industry.”
Acting on the advice of former Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge, the province has undertaken an ambitious $34.8 billion plan to build and upgrade critical infrastructure including roads, transit, schools and hospitals.
The plan increases investment by 15 per cent compared to the previous government’s plan, for an additional $4.5 billion in new investment over five years.
Transportation’s $9.3-billion Capital Plan over the next five years will help get Albertans back to work at good paying jobs, with nearly 600 projects slated for construction over the next three years.