Industrial park expected to pave way for Highway 40 twinning

A heavy-industrial park meant to attract new business to the Peace region could spur improvements to Highway 40, including twinning and a new bridge along a busy stretchof the road south of Grande Prairie, Alta.

• READ:Highway 40 funding overdue, says crash survivor
• LISTEN:Highway 40 may be just as bad as Highway 63

The park will cover 335 square kilometres in the Municipal District of Greenview, roughly 40 kilometres south of Grande Prairie.

Highway 40 cuts through the centre of the site, linking plots of land approved for development to the nearby city of more than 63,000.

The province reinforced its commitment to the industrial park at the annual two-day Growing the North conference in Grande Prairie.

Economic Development and Trade Minister Deron Bilousannounced Wednesday a project charter will be finalized by the end of February.

"We know that industry moves very, very quickly and that their decisions on where they're going to invest are based on a number of factors," Bilous told reporters at the conference.

"What this shows is a commitment to working together, the province with the municipalities, in order to make it as easy as possible for business to invest."

The province last year dedicated $210,000 to planning thesite, through theCommunity and Regional Economy Support (CARES) program.

Costs include contractors, environmental reviews and a market analysis.

The provincial grantmatched a joint investmentby the three municipalities involved in the park, to coverthe first phase of planning.

The County and City of Grande Prairie split 50 per cent of the cost, while the Municipal District of Greenview paid for the other half.

Planning is expected to conclude within two years.

Dale Gervais, reeve for the Municipal District of Greenview, says twinning Highway 40 is crucial to the project's success.

"The province says they're a partner in this well, that's going to be part of their partnership obligation," Gervaissaid Wednesday, after Bilous' announcement.

"There has been some interest expressed by national and international companies into moving into this area that's going to create all kinds of jobs and investment here."

Early planning for the industrial park, paid forby the province and three municipalities, willsave investors up to two years' worth of paperwork and bureaucratic processes, Gervaissaid.

As a result, companies that opt to build inthe park will see a faster return on their investments, he said.

But Highway 40 remains a constraint on development and could deter new industry from settling in the region, Gervaisadded.

Leanne Beaupre, reeve for the County of Grande Prairie, drives the two-lane highway almost every day for work.

The stretch of roadimmediately south of Grande Praire, near the area's single bridge over the Wapiti River,is often cloggedwith traffic as a result of accidents or poor drivingconditions, she said.

"The amount of traffic that happens... into Grande Prairie and back out that way, succeeds the amount of investment that has been put into roads in that area," BeaupretoldCBCNews.

Highway 40 is a main corridor for trucks and semis contracted by lumber and energy companies in the region, she added.

More than 12,100 drivers with over-dimensional vehicle permits passed through Grande Prairie last year up by 53 per cent from 2016 according to data tracked bythe city.

The highway connects Grande Prairie and its surrounding municipalities to industrysuch as naturalgas operationsintheMontneyFormation.

Beaupresaid she hopes the new industrial park will spur provincial funding for a second bridge across the Wapiti River, as well as highway twinning for at least 50 kilometres south of Grande Prairie.

"It's been a real concern, not only from the municipalities but from the people that have loved ones that are on that road every day," she said.

Safety first, business stakeholders say

Improving the reputation of Highway 40 could ultimately attract more investors to the Peace,saidCrisSeppola-Podsada, board chair for the Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber has advocated on behalf of businesses in the region for years, she said, calling for improvements to the locally notorious highway.

"Traffic's just going to get heavier and heavier,"Seppola-Podsadasaid.

"If we are able to meet that problem head-on and know the kind of climate that we're in, it's really going to helps us be safer in the long run, which of course helps our economy in the long run."

• Two Edmonton-area people killed in northern Alberta crash
• Man killed as pickup collides with semi near Grande Prairie

Grande PrairieRCMPresponded to 150 collisions on Highway 40 last year. The number does not reflect all accidents along the highway, between Grande Prairie and Grande Cache.

"It's heartbreaking to see all of the issues that happen on that road," Seppola-Podsadasaid. "You hear about accidents all the time.

"We don't want that road to be known as something that's dangerous, we want people to be safe going to and from their jobs."

Seven Generations Energy is one of thecompanies withwork sites along Highway 40 andemploys thousands of service workers and contractors who travel the route every day.

"Certainly, our land base that we work with is south of town and Highway 40 is a huge part of our access," said Cindy Park, Seven Generations'director of community engagement.

"The economic drive of this area and the economic impact of the oil and gas industry is incredible and we're all very fortunate to be here, but it's a balance."

Energy minister weighs in

Energy Minister McCuaig-Boyd said explosive economic development in the Peace region has raised the profile of Highway 40.

She spoke publicly about the importance of infrastructure around industry hotspots, including Grande Prairie, at theconference on Thursday.

"Back when Highway 40 was built and paved, nobody anticipated the growth in the energy sector so they're very aware that we need to do somethingon this highway," McCuaig-Boyd told CBCNews after her speech.

McCuaig-Boyd, who is from Grande Prairie,said she has raised the topic of Highway 40 with Transportation Minister Brian Mason.

"I hope we can push it up the priority list but there's lots of priorities in Alberta right now," she said. "This is going to be the next big area to grow in Alberta so we need to be ready for it.

"I can't promise it right now but I'm certainly going to advocate for some more work on that highway."

Twinning, bridge on unfunded project list

Alberta Transportation last year dedicated $200-million to 18 projects along Highway 40.

For instance, the province is designingimprovedintersections and 28 kilometres of passing lanes along a 55-kilometre stretchbetween theKakwaRiver andCanfor.

Twinning Highway 40 south of Grande Prairie, between the city and theNorbordPlant, is on the province's unfunded Capital Project List.

An engineering consultantretained by AlbertaTranspotationis designing the project, which will include a second bridge over the Wapiti River.

Detailed consultationwill begin this spring, an Alberta Transportation spokesperson said in an email statement toCBCNews.

@ZoeHTodd