With the provincial government clarifying it has no plans to significantly improve Highway 28 between Bonnyville and Cold Lake, leaders of the municipalities have weighed in on the issue.
The push to add passing lanes and possibly even twin Highway 28, which stretches between Cold Lake and Edmonton, has increased in recent months, with Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland stating several municipal leaders northeast of Edmonton have been putting pressure on the province to improve the heavily trafficked highway.
“I can't say I'm that surprised the province isn't planning on developing Highway 28, because they haven't sunk any substantial amount of money into Highway 28 for a long, long time,” Copeland said. “I know a lot of people are calling for some passing lanes to be developed, because right now there isn't a single one from 97 Street in Edmonton all the way to Cold Lake.”
Copeland said he was especially concerned with the stretch of highway between Bonnyville and Cold Lake, stating the amount of traffic, both heavy-load and regular-sized vehicles, has significantly increased over the past few years, and it's starting to take a toll on the road.
Melinda Steenbergen, communications officer with Alberta Transportation, said the province selects infrastructure improvement on a priority basis, as highways with the greatest need of work are selected first. However, at the moment the province says traffic on Highway 28 does not justify twinning.
“Our policy usually when it comes to twinning and developing highways across the province is that we only start considering when the volume of traffic reaches an average of 10,000 vehicles per day,” Steenbergen said. “Highway traffic on 28 between Bonnyville and Cold Lake is currently between 4,500 and 5,500 vehicles per day.”
Steenbergen did go on to add that there are sometimes certain exceptions to that rule, citing Highway 63, which runs north from Highway 28 to Fort McMurray, as a road that qualified for improvements due to the type of traffic that travels along it everyday.
Copeland argued that since Highway 63 had been given special dispensation due to the type of traffic that traveled that route, Highway 28 should be treated similarly, since the road is used as one of the main routes to transport goods to the Cold Lake and the oilsands north of the city.
“I'm not happy whatsoever with what the province is doing right now regarding infrastructure spending. Highway 28 should be a priority. There has been a lot of money spent on Highway 63 and it's about time the powers that be start looking at our neck of the woods,” Copeland said. “Some of these companies are moving modules up Highway 36, which can filter through to our area and significantly impact traffic. With no passing lanes or second lanes, it becomes a big problem for people traveling. I just think if Highway 63 has been improved, then Highway 28 should be too, because the traffic tendencies of both are very similar.”
“I think at the end of the day, it all comes down to a lack of knowledge by (politicians) in Edmonton about what's going on on Highway 28. All they do is go along with their traffic counts, but they don't know or understand how bad it gets. At certain times, the number of vehicles on the highway is just as bad as the amount of vehicles on the road to Fort McMurray. So passing lanes and resurfacing should be seen as the minimum the province could do.”
The MD of Bonnyville is also pushing for improvements to Highway 28 as part of its Comprehensive Regional Infrastructure Sustainability Plan (CRISP) priorities it has presented to the province, with councillors discussing the busy highway at last week's council meeting.
“In my opinion, the whole thing should be twinned all the way through to the city (Edmonton),” Coun. Fred Bamber said. “From Cold Lake to Bonnyville and vice versa, we have a commuter highway in the morning and in the evening and it gets crazy. The amount of traffic we have on that road is ridiculous.”
Reeve Ed Rondeau also suggested the province look into developing the entire highway from Cold Lake to Edmonton.
“If we are going to put the twinning of 28 on the list (of CRISP priorities sent to the province), we shouldn't stop at Highway 63, we should talk about having it twinned all the way to (Edmonton),” Rondeau said.
Bonnyville Mayor Ernie Isley suggested Highway 28 is an issue the province should be looking into, but pointed to other areas that could require even more attention.
“I've stated before that there is a lot more pressure on Highway 41 than there is on Highway 28,” Isley said. “I think that (Highway 41) is where the province should be looking to widen or put in passing lanes. Highway 28 would be second on my list, but there are lots of things they can do with the stretch (of Highway 28) between Bonnyville and Cold Lake before they consider twinning.”
Steenbergen said that although there were no plans in place to start developing Highway 28, Alberta Transportation had identified the highway as in need of a functional piling study. She said they are putting together a plan to conduct the study, however the province is yet to announce when the study would take place – something that upsets Copeland.
“I think they're late on the game to start the study. They should be up here studying the highway. That way they can see the problems we have and hopefully do something about it,” Copeland said. “I think they need to realize that the oil patch is not all about Fort McMurray. Some of these people that make the decisions need to come to this part of the world, speak to some people that travel along Highway 28, find out what they think and go from there.”
