Rocky View County (RVC) council has approved a budget adjustment that will set the twinning of Highway 566 in motion.
The amendment, which was unanimously approved during a regular council meeting July 28, is set to cost $16.5 million, with $4.1 million being covered by the Alberta government. The approved budget adjustment will move $12.3 million from the County’s Transportation Off-site Levy Reserve, which currently holds a balance of more than $26 million.
“Secondary Highway 566 in east Balzac continues to see increased traffic as a result of significant growth,” said Angela Yurkowski, with RVC’s capital project management.
According to the council meeting’s agenda report, the County has been working with Alberta Transportation on developing a plan for the twinning of Highway 566 from Range Road 293 to Range Road 290.
Yurkowski said with the project now approved, the rest of 2021 will focus on engineering and land acquisition, in order to begin construction in the summer of 2022.
The agenda report stated that in 2010, Alberta Transportation commissioned a functional design and Access Management Study for Highway 566 from Highway 722 to Highway 9.
“Specific to the East Balzac Area Structure Plan (ASP), the study recommended the current Highway 566 be widened to accommodate future growth,” the report stated.
Currently, Highway 566 is twinned from Highway 2 east to Range Road 293. Traffic volumes on Highway 566 currently exceed 6,000 vehicles per day, according to the agenda report.
Additionally, Highway 566 is designated by the Province as a High-Load Corridor from Highway 9 to Highway 772, the report stated.
“The scope of the widening would involve twinning to the south of the existing highway and encompass the associated intersection improvements,” it read.
During council’s discussion on the matter, Deputy Reeve Kim McKylor asked administration if there was a reason the item wasn’t put forward as a capital project during the last budget cycle, with construction set to start in 2022.
Byron Riemann, executive director of operations with RVC, responded that all he could add was the project has been a long and ongoing conversation with Alberta Transportation representatives.
“To get them to a point where they actually committed to some funds has taken to this point,” he said. “That is why council has never seen this as one of the capital projects that was presented.”
In response to a question from Coun. Samanntha Wright regarding remaining funds for other projects, Yurkowski said the twinning of Highway 566 was the second priority on a list of about five projects.
“The other three all relate to tie-ins between RVC and the City of Calgary,” she said. “Those projects don’t have an immediate need at this time – they would require further developments in those areas.”
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
