Brazeau County is getting a boost from the province to fix the county’s roads.
The province recently announced its Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program (STIP) and is handing out $31.5 million to municipalities for road repairs. The province projects it will create 260 jobs in rural Alberta.
Rafan Sawhney, Minister of Transportation, praised the program in a statement.
“STIP funding will support rural and smaller urban municipalities with local transportation infrastructure,” said Sawhney. “Now more than ever, strong infrastructure is vital to attracting investment, and this funding will help ensure they have the roads and bridges they need to grow sustainably, while also creating much-needed jobs.”
Two STIP projects are in Brazeau County, with the County using the funds to replace two culverts.
The first is on Range Road 103, approximately six kilometers north of Lodgepole.
The other is on Range Road 70 approximately one kilometre east of Buck Creek.
Lynden Fischer, director of public works for Brazeau County, says they inspect the county’s culverts every three years. Upon the last inspection, these ones were flagged for replacement.
“A lot of culvert infrastructure in Alberta is 50, 60 years old, and that’s probably the lifespan of your average culvert,” says Fischer. “Any day, culverts, depending on their condition, could rust through and cause a road closure.”
Fischer goes on to say that design work and the engineering studies on these projects still needs to be completed, so the culvert replacements will most likely happen in the 2022 construction season.
The government has awarded a provincial grant to help cover the costs of the project.
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