Alberta’s Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors is taking a look back at the path the province traveled down in 2024.
When it comes to the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake constituency, Devin Dreeshen notes that there have been a lot of road projects in this last year. He says “you look at Highway 21 out east and engineering work to widen that stretch of road out near the Content Bridge, Highway 11 near Sylvan Lake the new traffic circle on Highway 20 going down the hill that was done on time and on budget, as well as the Penhold round about near Fas Gas on the north side of town.”
Dreeshen wants to thank people for their patience during the construction season, as well as the successful bidders and the construction industry and the paving crews that did really outstanding work this summer. He says “personally, I’d have to say to see all the transportation and road projects underway. The engineering for the new ones and the road ones that have been completed are really good and I should say the MacKenzie (Crossing) Bridge on the way out to Stettler, that engineering work is underway as well on the Highway 590 crossing the Red Deer River. So there are some big projects coming up, but just a really good year overall when it comes to construction in the area.”
At the provincial level for Dreeshen, it was really incredible to see the completion of the Calgary Ring Road this year – a $4 billion dollar project that took many Transportation Ministers and many different governments to get to this point. He says “starting way back in the Social Credit days. Back many years ago, when they looked at how to have a utility corridor around a much smaller Calgary way back when, and then obviously the Lougheed government to actually buy up the right of way in that area and to finally see the construction of that completed really goes to show governments can think outside of just four year windows and four year election cycles but to have a big vision for the province.”
Dreeshen adds, working on some visionary rail transportation projects that are the dream of Premier Danielle Smith and to work with her on those is also pretty exciting.
