Alberta Transportation is planning five traffic roundabouts as part of its $120-million project to twin Highway 11 from Sylvan Lake to Rocky Mountain House.
Premier Jason Kenney announced the 66-kilometre project in July, touting it as a major initiative to improve highway safety and boost economic development in central Alberta.
The investment is part of Alberta’s $10-billion recovery plan and will create about 580 jobs, while upgrading the highway and improving traffic flow along an important recreation corridor to the West Country, says the government.
Under plans revealed publicly Thursday, five roundabouts are proposed: Highway 20, Highway 781, Range Road 1-5, Range Road 2-5A (Benalto access) and Highway 766 (Eckville access).
“Basically, what they’re looking at is traffic circles at every intersection,” said Lacombe County operations manager Brandon Maier.
Representatives from Lacombe County, Sylvan Lake, Eckville, Red Deer County and the City of Red Deer met with Alberta Transportation and engineering consultants McElhanney Ltd. last month to see the plans, Maier told county council in an update Thursday.
Maier said Alberta Transportation wants to work quickly on building the traffic roundabouts in the Sylvan Lake area — highways 20 and 781 and Range Road 1-5.
Design work is expected to be completed by the end of the year, so the project can be tendered next year.
“It’s a pretty aggressive timetable they’re looking at,” he said.
Alberta Transportation is also looking at revamping the intersections at Burnt Lake Road and Highway 2, which are nearing capacity.
The public are invited to comment on the proposal using an interactive map created by McElhanney at https://vertisee.mcelhanney.com/Highway11FPS/
pcowley@reddeeradvocate.com
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