Edmonton roads projects see new money from Alberta budget for cost overruns
The Alberta government has set aside nearly $1 billion in its annual budget for roads in the province's two biggest cities.
Many projects, like the Terwillegar Drive Expressway in southwest Edmonton, we already announced, but the provincial transportation minister says there is new money to account for cost overruns.
"A tremendous amount of investment in that part of the city, but obviously, it’s a demand by the City of Edmonton and Edmontonians to make sure that those high-growth areas with lots of traffic congestion are getting the attention that they need," Minister Devin Dreeshen told CTV News Edmonton on Friday.
The 2024 budget includes an extra $124 million for Terwillegar Drive, topping up funding for the interchange with Whitemud Drive and more lanes all the way to Anthony Henday Drive.
There is also more money for the Yellowhead freeway conversion and improvements for Ray Gibbon Drive in St. Albert.
More than half of the spending on roads in this year's provincial budget is for Deerfoot Trail in Calgary.
"We see the numbers as a provincial government in a growing population, so we want to make sure that, (for) transportation infrastructure, the pace has kept up to our growth," Dreeshen said.
"It's maintaining the assets that we have is important to make sure that people can can drive on a road safely, but also new new expansion, new construction projects so we can keep pace with this growth that we're seeing."
Aside from the construction top-ups, there's not a lot of new money for Edmonton in the budget.
City Coun. Andrew Knack said Edmonton is receiving $600 million less than expected thanks to a pause on the new hospital in the city's south.
"That’s still a net loss to what our total budget is, to what we’ve been expecting from the province and doesn’t take into account or factor in all of the other growth that we’re experiencing in a variety of other areas," Knack, who represents Ward Nakota Isga, told CTV News Edmonton on Friday.
Edmonton will receive $158 million for general infrastructure spending this year through the new local government fiscal framework.
Knack says that amounts to a cut considering inflation and the city's booming population.
"The Premier said in her address that we're not going to keep up spending with inflation and population growth, but I really worry about that because think about Edmonton's population, which has grown now by 100,000 people in two years," Knack said.
"We've added the city of Red Deer into our boundaries within the last year, not keeping up with population growth is is a pretty big challenge and most municipalities across this province are facing this.
"We're often in the position of if we don't fund growth, everyone moving here is now going to have less opportunity available to them."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.