Provincial officials released a list of projects included in the $4.4 billion allocated to build and repair highways.
The list includes $65 million for Cochrane’s Highway 1A/22 interchange.
“This is another giant step forward towards making the long-awaited interchange a reality,” said Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung. “We look forward to seeing a construction timeline and joining with the province in celebrating as shovels hit the ground. I’m really proud of the work Cochrane has been doing.”
Addressing the 1A/22 intersection has been a longstanding concern of the Town of Cochrane. The intersection currently sees more than 27,000 vehicles per day.
Over the last several years, this intersection has been identified as requiring immediate improvement to ensure adequate traffic flow and public safety. This is reflected in the recent North Calgary Regional Transportation study, which ranked this project 10th out of 166 projects evaluated.
Highway 22 is a key economic corridor for the oil and gas industry; Highway 1A is a key tourism corridor connecting the Calgary region to the Banff National Park. This corridor is highly utilized as an alternative to the Trans-Canada Highway, particularly in the event of highway closures or traffic incidents.
Alberta Transportation has engaged Town Administration on the intersection design, which is more than 90% complete, and an archaeological study was conducted in the summer of 2019.