[husky]

Anyone know what's happening on Highway 16A on either side of Acheson? Signs up for intersection improvements at Spruce Valley Road and Bevington Road. Parkland County's capital budget document mentions that traffic lights will be installed among the other works. Are they really going to put lights all the way down 16A?!

 

[Gronk!]

Bear Hills Casino on the QEII near Wetaskiwin should open soon.

Bear Hills Casino & Travel Resort

bearhillscasino.com

Bear Hills Casino & Travel Resort | LinkedIn

Bear Hills Casino & Travel Resort | 707 followers on LinkedIn. A new casino and travel resort located in Maskwacîs, Alberta, set to open to the public in 2024. | A premium casino experience is coming soon. We’re conveniently located just off of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, between Wetaskiwin...

www.linkedin.com

 

[IanO]

Curious to see how it does given its rather odd location.

That said, I know that I will go check it out when I grab a snack from the shack.

 

[northlands]

Sounds like Dawson, Low Level and 98 ave bridges all might get rehab projects starting this year if not next, depending on engineering

 

[MacLac]

Sounds like Dawson, Low Level and 98 ave bridges all might get rehab projects starting this year if not next, depending on engineering

I thought we all agreed upon the Low level was indeed getting re-habbed this year? No? Additionally, the entire road system of McDougall Hill and Rossdale Roads just as you get off the Low level going north is a complete and utter cluster@uck! I don’t recall any of those roads EVER getting paid in my entire life! Going up McDougall can best be described as “3rd world?” Plus with the giant Hydrogen conference happening this week…..that hill, that hill is the best we got? Grrrrrrr!!!!!!

 

[bodsbods9090]

I thought we all agreed upon the Low level was indeed getting re-habbed this year? No? Additionally, the entire road system of McDougall Hill and Rossdale Roads just as you get off the Low level going north is a complete and utter cluster@uck! I don’t recall any of those roads EVER getting paid in my entire life! Going up McDougall can best be described as “3rd world?” Plus with the giant Hydrogen conference happening this week…..that hill, that hill is the best we got? Grrrrrrr!!!!!!

Yeah, boggles my mind how that hill hasn't been re-paved in...forever. It's like driving on a country backroad with how bumpy it is!

 

[Greenspace]

Bear Hills Casino on the QEII near Wetaskiwin should open soon.

Bear Hills Casino & Travel Resort

bearhillscasino.com

Bear Hills Casino & Travel Resort | LinkedIn

Bear Hills Casino & Travel Resort | 707 followers on LinkedIn. A new casino and travel resort located in Maskwacîs, Alberta, set to open to the public in 2024. | A premium casino experience is coming soon. We’re conveniently located just off of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, between Wetaskiwin...

www.linkedin.com

I know one of the former band administrators, this casino licence is one of the last that any First Nation holds in Alberta. They've been planning this for 15 years. Glad they got it done, but also curious how it does.

 

[northlands]

I drove by it on Saturday, looked to me like some parking lot paving and some other minor work would have them in business.

 

[Gronk!]

Alberta explores alternative route out of Fort McMurray as wildfire forces residents to flee | Globalnews.ca

As thousands of Fort McMurray residents were forced from their homes due to wildfire, the provincial government said it is exploring another road out of the Alberta community.

globalnews.ca

Highways 63 and 881 are the only highways leading south out of Fort McMurray.

Premier Danielle Smith told reporters on Wednesday that early work is underway for an alternative route of out Fort McMurray.

“We have commenced a process to do consultation on Highway 686, which would link the Peace Region to Fort McMurray,” Smith said.

Smith said the route has not been decided yet, as it is too early in the planning stages.

Adding another route out of Fort McMurray is something that was considered under Rachel Notley’s NDP government.

“It wasn’t looking at a completely different direction out,” Notley said Wednesday. “It was just a different exit that looped around and connected with (Highway) 63 farther south.”

 

[The_Cat]

It's another empty promise. One possible solution could be an east ring road (depending on terrain) which would have another river crossing and exiting at Highway 69.

 

[Gronk!]

The whole idea of an alternative route out of Fort Mac is to avoid the Hwy 63 route going south - a ring road would be defeating the purpose.
A highway west to Peerless Lake is desirable. Is it doable construction-wise?

 

[The_Cat]

There's only one Athabasca River crossing at Fort McMurray. There have been expansions with Highway 63; It looks like Parsons Creek Road (the start of Highway 686) could be the start of the route to Peerless Lake and Peace River.

 

[trevorhayden]

Alberta Government has been saying it's a priority for years. It is. Until it suddenly isn't.

 

[Tacom8]

I know BRT is a dirty acronym for some but been thinking that 137th Ave is such a gigantic corridor it really would be a great cross town connector. Could connect from Clareview transit center right up to St. Albert's Naki transit center, hitting 97th street transit hub, the north LRT central stop along the way. Lots of space along the ROW with the service roads to shift the roadway or take up a set of lanes. Criminally underdeveloped sections along the road and dead or dying malls and big box strip malls that are rapidly reaching end of life and in need of a redevelopment plan. Loads of gigantic 1950s era lots in every direction. A cheaper option to elevate the area and fuel the new and existing lines would be a winner i think.

 

[northlands]

The whole idea of an alternative route out of Fort Mac is to avoid the Hwy 63 route going south - a ring road would be defeating the purpose.
A highway west to Peerless Lake is desirable. Is it doable construction-wise?

Oh yea it's doable, there's already a pretty much fully cleared ROW for the NOVA gas pipeline that runs from Ft Mac to Wabasca, so it's certainly possible to cut through the bush and muskegg.

But regardless it's a ~250 km route on a dead shot from Fort Mac to Red Earth, so the cost to run a 2 lane road with enough compaction and thick enough asphalt to handle all the overweight oilfield traffic would be astronomical.