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Provincial paving projects announced

Construction crews will hit the pavement this summer, upgrading several roadways throughout Westlock County as part of a government announcement last week.

Construction crews will hit the pavement this summer, upgrading several roadways throughout Westlock County as part of a government announcement last week.

As part of the Provincial Construction Program’s 2016-19 Major Construction Projects, released April 19, crews will pave Highway 44, Highway 2 and Secondary Highway 661 in Westlock County, with some of the work staring this summer.

A 24-kilometre stretch of Secondary Highway 661 will be repaved from Highway 44 to Highway 2 this year, while a 16-kilometre stretch that’s currently gravel — from secondary highways 769 to 776 — has been added to the list of roughly 600 highway and water management projects to tentatively be completed by 2019 as part of Alberta Transportation’s $9.3-billion capital plan.

Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken said that while the SH611 stretch has been promised since 2015, he’s pleased to see the government take notice of a project he’s been lobbying for.

“This project list is from 2016-19 and it’s not a guaranteed list, but at least that’s new on the list is improving the grade and staged paving,” the transportation critic said, noting the road is a significant-east-west corridor in Westlock County and is more than deserving of the funds.

“It’s a project I would consider an unfinished road and both counties were encouraging me to press to try and get that on the list.”

Reeve Bud Massey was pleased to see the projects make the list, but remains cautiously optimistic about the section spanning to the County of Barrhead.

“It’s a possibility. It doesn’t guarantee it, it’s on the short list,” Massey said.

“They don’t have a date for it, but it’s in the three-year plan. It could get done any time in that three years, but it’s a strong possibility, so it’s very positive.”

Also included on the project list is 85 kilometres of paving on Highway 44 from Highway 16 all the way to Secondary Highway 661, split into three phases.

The section from Highway 16 to Secondary Highway 642 will go this summer, while the portion from the Town of Westlock to SH 661 is expected to go ahead this fall.

The remaining portion, from SH 642 to Westlock, is in the plans for 2017.

“That road needs it,” van Dijken said. “It’s really starting to get choppy and fall apart.”

“It’s important that we protect our existing infrastructure and keep it up to snuff before it falls apart too much,” he said.

Highway 2 will also see fresh pavement from Clyde to Legal.

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