The new overpass at Aldersyde will be open today (Wednesday). photo by Don Patterson

Overpass opens today

By John Barlow
editor

Motorists in southern Alberta will breathe a sigh of relief this week as the long-awaited Aldersyde overpass at Highway 2 and Highway 7 will open today (Wednesday).
Highwood MLA George Groeneveld announced on Friday Alberta Transportation will open the new overpass at an official ceremony on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
Groeneveld said the $27 million overpass could not come soon enough for residents in the foothills area and motorists on Highway 2.
“To see this project come to fruition is one of the highlights of my time in the Legislature,” said Groeneveld on Friday. “It has taken many years to get this done. It has been done on time and on budget and I am happy about it.”
The $27 million highway development funded by the province began in the spring of 2006 and was scheduled to be completed by Oct. 15 of this year.
According to Nino Delaurentiis, construction manager for the southern region of AIT, construction has been very smooth. Once the overpass is opened motorists will no longer have any major intersections on Highway 2 from Calgary south to Nanton.
“The interchange will accommodate all traffic movement,” Delaurentiis said. “It will really improve moving traffic in a much safer and orderly fashion.”
As Highway 2 developed into a major trade artery between Calgary and the United States, the intersection of Highway 2, Highway 7 and Highway 547 at Aldersyde became especially treacherous.
The deadly intersection was the site of fatal accidents almost on an annual basis the last coming in March, 2006 when two men were killed in an accident at the junction including a 25-year-old from High River.
At the time Groeneveld said, “This is a tragedy you can’t believe. It was my worst fear that we would have another casualty at that intersection.”
However, the ongoing tragedies sparked the provincial government to make the Aldersyde overpass a top priority.
Delaurentiis said the Aldersyde overpass was deemed necessary by the province after a needs assessment was completed based on “traffic volume and traffic room.”
The overpass ties Highway 7 and Highway 2 together via an overpass eliminating the dangerous at-grade intersection where drivers would, at times, have to cross four lanes of primary highway.
Now, if one were driving eastbound on Highway 7 and wanted to go north to Calgary on Highway 2, drivers will be able to access the new bridge, which bypasses the southbound lanes, and enter the northbound lane of traffic.
Heading south from Calgary, to get onto Highway 7 there will be an off-ramp taking traffic straight onto the alternate highway. There will also be a combination of exit ramps enabling drivers to safely enter and exit Highway 7 and Highway 547.
Delaurentiis acknowledged some drivers’ frustration with the lengthy construction, but added that in the end the driving delay will be worth the hassle.
“We appreciate the patience of motorists as we try to improve the infrastructure,” Delaurentiis said.
Foothills MD Coun. Ted Mills agreed that the overpass at Aldersyde was long overdue and will make highway travel much safer.
“This will have such big benefits, I can’t wait for it to open,” said Mills. “There have been fatalities there every year, it was just a nightmare. It is just a real bonus not to have that divided highway be an issue any longer.”
Although the overpass addresses the concerns on Highway 2, Groeneveld and
Mills both voiced their concern with the lack of a fly-over at the railway tracks at Highway 7.
Groeneveld battled to have the fly-over included in the overpass project, but relented when he feared including the fly-over would delay the overpass project.
The concern is that new traffic lights at the rail tracks could back up truck traffic onto Highway 7 causing some traffic congestion.
Groeneveld said the fly-over is still an issue he hopes to have addressed, but he admitted it is low on the provincial priority list.
Mills said the province has other plans for Highway 2 once the overpass is open on Wednesday including closing the meridian on Highway 2 at Maple Leaf Road near Aldersyde meaning traffic coming onto Highway 2 off Maple Leaf Road will no longer be able to access northbound lanes. The meridian will also be removed at 434 Ave. at the Highwood Auction Mart.
“There is issue after issue on Highway 2,” said Mills. “It is a work in progress.”

Debate heats up race for mayor

By Don Patterson
Times Reporter

There were a few sparks and plenty of questions about Okotoks’ financial status, water supply and infrastructure needs as the three candidates seeking the mayor’s seat in Monday’s municipal election faced off on Oct. 2.
Candidates Dave Clark and Dave R. Clarke offered their ideas on how to manage the town’s growth, while setting their sights on incumbent Mayor Bill McAlpine who defended his record on council, adding the Town will have to continue to invest for the future.
Clark said council’s sustainability vision may not materialize.
He suggested the town’s water supply is inadequate for a community of 30,000 —the town’s ultimate population under the Sustainable Okotoks Policy.
“To me, water is a huge issue. If we don’t have water, we won’t be able to have development. If we don’t have development, we won’t be able to pay our bills,” he said.
Clark suggested increasing water storage capacity as one way to improve supply.
He also questioned whether or not the Town would find itself facing tough times financially in the coming years.
According to Clark, the Town’s debt and its capital and operational budgets are “out of line,” with its debt having grown to $30 million from $3.75 million in 2003.
“That’s a horrendous amount for four years,” he said.
McAlpine countered criticism that the Town has spent too much on capital projects. He said the Town had to incur some debt to build essential amenities for the community and said more will have to be built in years to come.
McAlpine said Town’s audited financial statements show it’s in good fiscal shape and it keeps up with its interest payments. As the town grows, he said its debt will be paid off.
McAlpine also said Okotoks will have enough water to meet the long-term needs of the community.
He said the Town is seeking return flow credits from the provincial government to improve Okotoks’ water supply - by treating used water and returning it to the Sheep River. McAlpine also said the idea of water storage has been looked at.
“The truth is, we don’t have a shortage of water; we have a problem with licenses,” he said.
Clarke said the town shouldn’t just focus on its own water needs. Instead, he said the town needs to look at those of the entire Sheep River Basin.
“We need to work with the other watershed stakeholders to deal with sustainability,” he said. “We have to work together with them to come up with a solution that’s fair for everyone for water rights.”
While the town may have a population cap of 30,000 people, he said the regional population will likely be much higher and everyone will be drawing water from the same source.
According to Clarke, the issues of water supply and the population cap are connected.
When the Town reaches the cap, he said people will go elsewhere in the region, and the town could still feel the impact.
With the M.D. of Foothills planning higher density developments around Okotoks, he said the Town will need to work with it’s neighbour to ensure new developments fit into the area.
“We need to take a good, hard look at this and determine with all stakeholders the best course of action,” she said.
Clarke said traffic levels on the existing bridge across the Sheep River are “intolerable’ and the planned 32 St. bridge will have to be pushed with the provincial government for it to finally become a reality.
Clarke also said the high traffic volumes in town may also signal it’s time to consider public transit to get more cars off the road.
“I think the time for a transit system in Okotoks is now,” he said.
Clark joined in saying public transit may be a good idea for Okotoks; however, he said the Town’s primary traffic concern should be constructing the 32 St. bridge.
He questioned why progress hasn’t been made on the bridge considering the growth of the Town in recent years.
Clark suggested it’s a low priority for the Province and the Town hasn’t done enough to get it done. He said the bridge will be one of his priorities and he plans to press the issue with the provincial government.
McAlpine acknowledged it has taken time to make progress on the construction of the 32 St. bridge. However, he believes the Town will be high on the Province’s priority list for bridge construction.
“It’s not that we haven’t tried. We have been trying, it just hasn’t been a priority,” said McAlpine.
When it comes to a local transit system, he said the Town would have to find an innovative way to do it; however, he said it may not be feasible at this time given the town’s current population.
Left to right, Candidates for the mayor’s seat on Okotoks town council, Dave Clark, incumbent Bill McAlpine and Dave R. Clarke faced off at the mayoral debate on Oct. 2.