Premier Jason Kenney spoke in Sylvan Lake Friday morning, flanked by the town's mayor Sean McIntyre, and several cabinet colleagues, to announce a $120 million upgrade to Hwy 11. (rdnewsNOW/Troy Gillard)

By Troy Gillard and Josh Hall

$120M, four-year project

David Thompson Highway from Sylvan Lake to Rocky Mountain House to be expanded

Jul 17, 2020 | 10:16 AM

The David Thompson Highway is getting a makeover.

Premier Jason Kenney was in Sylvan Lake Friday morning to announce a project to twin and divide 66 kilometres of Highway 11 from Sylvan Lake to Rocky Mountain House.

Approximately 5,800 vehicles travel on this section of Highway 11 daily.

The $120 million project will create an estimated 582 jobs — 344 direct and 248 indirect.

“Alberta’s government is taking every possible step to get folks back to work. Infrastructure upgrades like this will create jobs today, while ensuring our roads and highways can support the needs of Albertans for years to come,” said Kenney. “Ultimately, this will create more opportunities for Albertans and visitors alike to access the natural beauty and hospitality of our province.”

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“The twinning of the David Thompson Highway is an important infrastructure project for our community and will support further investment in the province,” stated Devin Dreeshen, Agriculture & Forestry Minister and MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake. “Most importantly, this project will create jobs right here in central Alberta at a time when Albertans need it most.”

The project is part of the more than $10 billion in infrastructure spending the province announced previously as part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan.

“We’ve experienced what the twinning of Highway 11 from Red Deer to Sylvan Lake did for our community in terms of improved accessibility, safety and increased opportunities,” said Sylvan Lake Mayor Sean McIntyre. “The twinning to Rocky Mountain House is yet another step in our province’s continued growth as a leader in the development of industry, communities and tourism.”

“It will mean a safer commute for our youth who will be able to stay in their home community and travel to Red Deer College for their studies. It will mean safer and more efficient travel for energy and transportation services that conduct their essential business from the David Thompson and Highway 22 corridors,” said Rocky Mountain House Mayor Tammy Burke.

“It will make for a more direct, enjoyable drive for tourists and visitors alike,” she added. “Traffic to our area has only increased this spring and summer as Albertans choose to vacation in our own province. We know these visitors, once they see what our incredible town and region have to offer, will be back.”

“Anything we can do to enhance the ability to access these tourism hotspots is welcome,” said Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA Jason Nixon. “This is a win-win for Albertans and the critical corridor between Rocky and Sylvan Lake.”

A key part of the project will be changes to the intersection at Highway 781 that has long been a concern for the Town of Sylvan Lake, its residents and businesses.

“It is a key entry point to Sylvan Lake. We understand it will help our business community, it will help the residents of Clearwater County and Red Deer County and Lacombe County access our community,” McIntyre explained. “As far as the design of the intersection, we’re looking forward to the engineering on that. Obviously we want to have great flow and great safety but really we’re just happy to see action on that item and looking forward to using it.”

“Both the mayor and minister Dreeshen have been relentless in reminding us that they want that intersection improved,” shared Transportation Minister Ric McIver. “I don’t think I ever meet with Minister Dreeshen without hearing about it. So we’re happy to get this done. We know it’s important to the people of Sylvan Lake and we also know that (the issue is) longstanding.”

Design work for the David Thompson Highway twinning project will begin this year with construction getting underway in 2021 following land acquisition. The project is expected to take four years to complete.