AB government studying if QE2 should be six lanes
Posted Mar 27, 2015 4:56 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s been a topic among Alberta commuters for years and now the provincial government is seriously looking at widening the QE2 highway.
The budget includes $6 million to start a planning study for making the stretch between Edmonton and Calgary six lanes the entire way.
Transportation Minister Wayne Drysdale said along with the cost of the job, the study will examine how much property would have to be purchased and the main reason from proponents for the project is safety.
“The volume of traffic on that road now, it just gets overloaded in peak times especially and in peak places, so when you got too much traffic or slower traffic and faster traffic, you end up with accidents,” he said.
If the plan were to go ahead, Drysdale said construction would begin with some of the most troublesome spots, such as around municipalities like Airdrie and Red Deer.
The study should take a few years and Drysdale added he’s gotten feedback from a wide range of people, from regular drivers to municipal officials.
“My colleagues, all the MLAs driving from Calgary every week, they’re always telling me it needs to be done as well,” he said with a chuckle.
