Balzac will be receiving a new overpass at the intersection of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway and Highway 566, after funds were allotted for the project in the Alberta government's recent capital budget.
The $148 million capital project will be fully funded by the province, with $51 million in total being allotted over the next three years with more to come after. Construction is slated to begin in 2025.
“Budget 2023 had a significant investment to key infrastructure all across Alberta," said Alberta Minister of Transportation and Corridors Devin Dreeshen, who stopped in Balzac to make the formal announcement on March 31. “This interchange here is one of them. Our budget, overall, focused on investment attraction, job creation and economic growth, and diversification, across the province.
“This QEII-Highway 566 (interchange), just north of CrossIron Mills, has been a project a long time in the making.”
Dreeshen went on to state the project was deemed a priority for the provincial government because of the growing importance of the logistics and industrial hub in Balzac, and because of the substantial traffic coming off the QEII to access CrossIron Mills mall and other major retailers nearby.
“Anyone who lives in this area understands how busy the QEII is,” he stated. “It’s one of the original economic corridors with the province of Alberta, and it sees 80,000 vehicles per day as of right now. Congestion is just going to get worse; so that is why we want to make sure we can build for the future, and make sure commuter traffic in this area can move as safely as possible.”
Dreeshen was asked why the new Balzac interchange was to be fully funded in the 2023 budget while other transportation infrastructure projects, such as 40th Avenue Interchange in south Airdrie, were not. Dreeshen explained his department has identified key priorities based on the available funding, and the QEII/566 interchange fits those priorities because of its impact not only on the local municipality, but the entire region.
Outside of those key priorities, Dreeshen explained limited provincial funds means municipalities who are willing to put their own money down to help build local infrastructure tend to be given more attention by his department.
“We do look at the fact that if there is an urgent need obviously our department can identify, and even at a local level where municipalities are willing to put money in,” he said. “That does have some influence. So that’s why there seems to be an inconsistency when it comes to a full government of Alberta-funded project like this (in Balzac), and others where municipalities have actually put money up front.”
Mayor Crystal Kissel, who was also on hand on March 31, thanked Dreeshen on behalf of Rocky View County (RVC) for making the new Balzac interchange a key budget priority for his government.
“This investment into our transportation infrastructure will not only provide a much-needed relief to the businesses and the residents in the Balzac area, it will benefit our broader communities by improving traffic flow, enhancing safety and increasing economic opportunities,” she said.
“We really want to thank the provincial government for stepping up to say, ‘Now is the time.’ Because it really is the time.”
Kissel credited the vision of past RVC councils for the wide sweeping industrial and commercial development of the Balzac area in recent years, and the major investments those councils made toward essential infrastructure to make it what it is today.
“Rocky View has been a great partner with the province in partnering on large projects,” she said. “We contribute a lot of time to help drive our projects forward. This project here today is going to allow that to happen, and we are a partner in this. We have done infrastructure. We have planned ahead of time to help get this project moving forward.”
