LAC LA BICHE - While the highway intersection might be a newsworthy item, the business next to it — his business — shouldn’t be, says Lac La Biche County Mayor Paul Reutov.
The mayor is the developer of the area’s newest gas station, a Tempo and convenience store along Highway 55 about two kilometres west of the Lac La Biche hamlet. The new gas station is an addition onto Reutov’s existing business — a home improvement store — on the same property.
The new business opened on Thursday, as municipal staff and Alberta Transportation officials discuss development bans in the same area due to un-safe intersections. The mayor says the restrictions don’t apply to this project.
“I got approval from Alberta Transportation. My application had nothing to do with the intersection,” Reutov told Lakeland This Week on Thursday afternoon.
No new development
Since the end of last year, council has been discussing what some around the table call the “economic corridor” running from Lac La Biche Transport to the Corner Gas fuel station on Highway 881. A particular part of that discussion has focused on the need to upgrade several intersections along Highway 55 entrance before development can continue. Development on properties near those intersections has been halted by Alberta Transportation officials, saying that until the intersections see needed upgrades to reach current traffic safety, no new development will take place within 400 metres of the crossroads.
The upgrades would costs the municipality upwards of $800,000 for each intersection, including the one adjacent to the mayor’s new business. Councillors have not included specific funding for the upgrades in 2023, and the topic was expected to be discussed further once a comprehensive review of the highway’s intersections was presented back to council. The report has yet to be presented.
Although his new store opened before that review was prepared, Reutov says his business falls outside of the development restriction, and the expansion project has been an ongoing discussion for more than three years.
“With mine being an existing business, they basically said it needs to be done, and so forth, but they can’t hold an existing business hostage,” he said.
While his new store shouldn’t share the limelight with the ongoing traffic and infrastructure issues, Reutov believes that over the last several council meetings, it has helped to draw attention to the overall need for upgrades, safety issues and new development along the corridor.
“It brought the entire roadway and intersection to light,” said the mayor, who did claim a conflict of interest and left the meeting during one of those recent discussions about the intersection beside his business.
Speed down, costs down says mayor
Since that meeting, where the intersection review was ordered, council has also sent a demand request to Alberta Transportation officials to reduce the speed along the two-kilometre section of Highway 55. The decision to send the speed reduction request — from 100 kph to 70 — was approved by the five council members — including the mayor — attending the January 10 council meeting.
Reutov said a reduced speed along the “corridor” entrance will help to reduce overall costs when the time comes to build the needed intersections. He said municipal officials and Alberta Transportation representatives are currently discussing several topics relating to the “entire corridor.”
“We are still pushing for the speed limit reduction … The purpose for the reduction in speed is, when you are designing the intersection it makes a big difference in cost and overall design if it’s a 100-kilometre intersection or a 70 kilometre intersection,” he said.
With costs expected to exceed several million dollars for multiple intersection upgrades, Lac La Biche County administrators say it is likely that developers of new projects expecting to build in those areas would be paying a share of the costs, reducing the costs to all taxpayers.
Councillors are expected to continue on the discussions over the Highway 55 corridor this week during a special council meeting called for Friday morning.
