The Highway 15 twinning project near Fort Saskatchewan will see a second bridge built over the North Saskatchewan River leading into the city.
Transportation Minister Ric McIver announced Wednesday the project would be completed in three years.
"Highway 15 is a key corridor for the residents and businesses of Fort Saskatchewan and throughout Alberta’s Industrial Heartland," McIver said.
"Twinning will reduce congestion, improve travel times and increase safety."
The project is broken into two phases, the first of which-- the twinning of Highway 15 between the intersections of Highway 28A and 37—will be finished later this summer.
The second stage will see Highway 15 twinned from east of Highway 37 to east of the 99 Avenue overpass in Fort Saskatchewan. Construction on the second bridge over the river has already been started.
Fort Saskatchewan Mayor Gale Katchur said residents have been waiting for an infrastructure upgrade for years.
"Our residents know all too well about congestion, in particular over the bridge, and they’re looking forward to completion of this twinning project to make their daily commute easier and safer," Katchur said.
Currently, the bridge—built in 1957—is the only river crossing into the city, and has one lane of traffic in each direction.
Officials say vehicles cross the bridge an estimated 23,000 times a day, and that traffic has increased by 50 per cent in the last decade.
The cost of the entire project is estimated between $120 million and $150 million.
