Highway connecting Fort McMurray, Saskatchewan 'priority project' for Alberta

Article content

Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen hopes construction will begin in 2026 on Highway 956, an all-weather road connecting the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region to La Loche, Sask. The project was announced in 2005. Saskatchewan has finished work on their side, but Alberta has yet to begin any construction on a permanent road.

Article content

Dreeshen said in an interview that the Alberta government considers the La Loche route “a priority project for the province.” Earlier this month, Dreeshen met with his counterparts from Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. A memorandum of understanding was signed that pledged to work together on strengthening economic corridors, such as highways.

“We’re essentially catching up to make sure that there’s a market access road connecting communities and families on both sides,” Dreeshen said in an interview.

“After signing the agreements for economic corridors with Saskatchewan and Manitoba, it does highlight certain projects like this to make sure we can, on both sides of the border, align our capital plans together.”

Article content

The La Loche Winter Trail cuts through 115 kilometres of boreal forest. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) spends $25,000 annually maintaining 57 kilometres of the winter trail. Alberta has to connect 65 kilometres from just south of Anzac to the border with Saskatchewan. About $14 million has been set aside for engineering work that goes to tender next year.

Saskatchewan began road construction on their side of the route in 2007 and has already paved 44 out of 53 kilometres. No permanent sections have been built on the Alberta side. In 2022, Premier Scott Moe asked then-Premier Jason Kenney to commit to finishing the project. Mayor Sandy Bowman has also urged the Alberta government to finish paving Highway 956.

Article content

Grande Prairie route still being planned, Highway 63 twinning a goal

Dreeshen was interviewed before recent wildfires briefly closed Fort McMurray’s only two highways out of the community on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. But he mentioned plenty of road projects in the region that will have economic and safety benefits.

The province and Indigenous partners are still planning a route for Highway 686, a 218 kilometre, two-lane gravel highway linking Fort McMurray to the Grande Prairie region.

The province is twinning 12 kilometres of Highway 63 north of Fort McMurray. The twinned route covers the entrance of Syncrude’s Mildred Lake site to the Peter Lougheed Bridge. This stretch has a daily traffic count of nearly 11,700 vehicles at the south end and roughly 6,770 vehicles at the north end. Dreeshen says he hopes to see all of Highway 63 twinned, a hope shared by RMWB council.

Article content

There are also hopes to connect Fort McMurray and Edmonton with passenger rail. Premier Danielle Smith has mentioned she wants to see incentives to bring more routes to regional airports, including the Fort McMurray International Airport.

“It’s important to keep families safe in case of a wildfire or any type of natural disaster, but also the economics make sure we can have a fully functional transportation network that can help attract more investment and more job opportunities for the entire province,” said Dreeshen.

“It’s really just a good understanding that the wealth of the province comes from rural Alberta. We have to make sure the infrastructure in rural Alberta is up to the potential of the province.”

Opposition transportation and economic corridors critic Lorne Dach was not available for interviews. An Alberta NDP spokesperson said Dach had nothing to add to the topic.

Get the news and events of Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo in your inbox every Friday morning by signing up for our newsletter.

vmcdermott@postmedia.com

Article content