Oilsands Infrastructure
Fort McMurray Infrastructure Support
The Alberta government oversees the design, construction and maintenance of provincial highways, provides infrastructure support to urban and rural municipalities, and provides education, post-secondary and health facility infrastructure funding.
· Fact
Sheet - Fort McMurray Infrastructure Support
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Version)
Twinning Highway 63
· Government will begin twinning the 240 kilometres of Highway 63 between Fort McMurray and the junction of Highway 55 near Grassland, starting at the south end of Fort McMurray, as designs are completed and federal environmental permits are obtained. The cost of twinning the highway is now estimated to be more than $940 million. The federal government will contribute up to $150 million toward the project under the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund.
· Construction has also begun on the twinning of Highway 63 north of Fort McMurray from the Suncor access to Mildred Lake at a cost of $62 million.
Other Highway Infrastructure
· In addition to twinning Highway 63, other upgrades include:
o paving the rest of Highway 881was completed this summer, providing an alternative for traffic south of Fort McMurray
o building a new bridge across the Athabasca River in Fort McMurray
o completing seven truck staging areas from Nisku to Fort McMurray
o road rehabilitation work, construction of a bypass lane on Highway 63 within Fort McMurray, and three major intersection improvement projects to relieve roadway congestion and improve safety - completed in fall 2006
· Government has also committed to the following future highway improvements:
o constructing an all-weather road from Highway 881 near Anzac to La Loche, Sask.
o building four interchanges in Fort McMurray - Beacon Hill, Confederation Way, Morrison Street, and Thickwood Boulevard
Municipal Infrastructure Grants
· Fort McMurray region will receive at least $64 million over the next five years through the $3-billion Alberta Municipal Infrastructure Program. In total, the Fort McMurray urban area will receive approximately $18.5 million this year from this and other municipal infrastructure programs.
Water Treatment and Wastewater Facilities
· Government is providing the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo with a $136-million interest-free loan. The Province will pay the interest costs for the first four years. This bridge-financing will assist the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in the construction of a new sewage treatment facility and upgraded water treatment plant.
Housing and Land
· Alberta Seniors and Community Supports is releasing 670 acres of Crown land onto the market that will allow for the development of approximately 5,800 housing units in Fort McMurray. Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation is also working to release an additional 700 acres in the Saline Creek area in the city’s south end.
K-12 School Facilities
· Government provided $10.4 million to build St. Martha School, which will open in fall 2006 and recently approved $9.2 million for the preservation and modernization at Westwood Community High School. Government also recently approved the construction of a new public Junior High School and a new Catholic High School. It has also provided an estimated $10 million for 29 modular classrooms for Fort McMurray schools.
Post-secondary Facilities
· Government committed $20 million towards projects at Keyano College, including the construction of its Sport and Wellness Centre, upgrading its computer networking system, and replacing its chilled water system.
Health Facilities
· Government infrastructure funding to the Northern Lights Health Region includes:
o $375,000 to expand the Regional Data Centre at the Northern Lights Health Centre
o $1.5 million to relocate the Community Health Services
o $2 million for a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facility
News Releases:
Canada and Alberta partner to twin Highway 63 (August 29, 2006)
New land sale to provide more housing for Fort McMurray (June 29, 2006)
Highway maintenance keeps traffic moving smoothly (June 8, 2006)
Fort McMurray intersection work will reduce traffic congestion by fall (May 05, 2006)
Government commits to twinning Highway 63 (February 23, 2006)
Agreement between government and oil sands industry will improve transport of oversize loads (Dec. 1, 2005)
Province assists Wood
Buffalo with $136 million in bridge-financing to help cope with growth pressures
(October 13, 2005)
New road will link Northern Saskatchewan to Athabasca Oil Sands (September 15, 2005)
Government accelerates housing and road development in Fort McMurray (July 6, 2005)
Alberta invests $530 million for highways to the oil sands (May 3, 2005)
Unparalleled $3-billion municipal infrastructure funding to begin flowing (April 14, 2005)