No. H128/02
For release November 28, 2002
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA AND
PROVINCE OF ALBERTA CONTRIBUTE
$63 MILLION TO TWIN PART OF HIGHWAY 43
EDMONTON - David Kilgour, Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) and MP (Edmonton
Southeast), on behalf of Transport Minister David Collenette, together with
George VanderBurg, MLA for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne, on behalf of Alberta
Transportation Minister Ed Stelmach, today announced that the Government of Canada and the Province
of Alberta will contribute joint funding of $63 million for improvements to
Highway 43 northwest of Edmonton. The funding falls under the Canada/Alberta Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program
(SHIP).
Highway 43 is part of the CANAMEX trade corridor running through Alberta to
the United States and Mexico and is a gateway to the Alaska and MacKenzie
highways. The funding announced today will be used to twin approximately 50
kilometres of the highway from Greencourt to Glenevis, close a number of
at-grade intersections, improve other intersections, and build new bridges to
carry the two new lanes.
Under the SHIP agreement, the Government of Canada and the Province of
Alberta are providing joint funding of $92.4 million until March 2006 for
highway improvement projects in the province. The Canada/Alberta SHIP agreement,
signed August 23, 2001, is part of the national $600 million SHIP program
announced by Mr. Collenette in April 2001.
"Highway 43 is a key part of Alberta’s road system, with growing traffic
volumes and a high proportion of trucks," said Mr. Kilgour. "This project
will contribute to greater public safety, increase capacity and facilitate
economic development in Alberta."
"The Government of Canada is providing $29 million from the Strategic
Highway Infrastructure Program for this project to improve safety and promote a
more efficient flow of goods and services," said Mr. Collenette. "Our
government is committed to working in partnership with other levels of
government to deliver much-needed transportation improvements throughout Canada."
"Funding from the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP) allows
the province to undertake this twinning project sooner than anticipated,” said
Mr. VanderBurg. “This project is a further step toward completing the
North-South Trade Corridor, an efficient and safe highway link supporting
Alberta’s rapidly growing trade with the United States and Mexico."
Funding for this project was provided for in the December 2001 federal budget
and is therefore built into the existing financial framework.
A backgrounder with further information on SHIP is attached.
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Anthony Polci
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Trent Bancarz |
Director of Communications
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Communications |
Office of the Minister,
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Alberta Ministry of Transportation |
Ottawa (613) 991-0700
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(780) 427-0623
(Dial 310-0000 for toll free connection within Alberta)
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BACKGROUNDER
STRATEGIC HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM - ALBERTA
In the February 2000 budget speech, the Government of Canada committed to
improve the economy and the quality of life for Canadians by investing up to
$600 million over five years in highway infrastructure across Canada. In April
2001, Transport Minister David Collenette announced the Strategic Highway
Infrastructure Program (SHIP). The program has two components: a
$500 million highway construction component and a $100 million national
system integration component.
Under the program, $500 million, including $15 million for administrative
costs, will be available to address the needs of Canada’s highways until March
2006. The program formally begins in fiscal year 2002-2003. The Government of
Canada is working with the provinces and territories to identify those parts of
the national highway system that - because of growing traffic and increasing
trade-need immediate attention. This will result in a safer and more efficient
highway system for all Canadians.
An allocation formula has been developed to distribute the $485 million
available to the provinces and territories for road construction under SHIP. The
formula consists of a minimum of $4 million per jurisdiction plus a share based
on population and a 50-50 cost-sharing ratio. Under this formula, the total
federal allocation for the Province of Alberta is $46.2 million. Under previous
joint highway funding agreements since 1987, Transport Canada contributed $41
million to Alberta. This brings the total funding from Transport Canada to $87.2
million.
An environmental assessment that meets the requirements of the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Act will be undertaken before this project begins.
Funding for the project is conditional on the results of this assessment.
SHIP will also provide $100 million nationally to fund initiatives which
better integrate the transportation system. These include the deployment of
Intelligent Transportation Systems across Canada, improvements to border
crossings and better transportation planning. Intelligent Transportation Systems
include applications such as advanced systems for traveller information, traffic
management, public transport, commercial vehicle operations, emergency response
management and vehicle safety.
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