By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Minister Brian Mason Talks Highway 3 with Local Mayors

Mar 23, 2016 | 4:11 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Brian Mason, stopped in Lethbridge to speak with mayors in the surrounding area.

The hot topic is the twinning of Highway 3, with the mayors saying they’ve already voiced their concerns about the safety and congestion of the road numerous times.

In late February, Lethbridge City Council joined other communities along the highway to write a letter of support for a provincial grant process. The project has been on hold for nearly 15 years.

The minister says it’s a good time to invest, mainly to get Albertans back to work and get necessary infrastructure built.

“That’s part of our decision to increase infrastructure spending by about 15-per cent for the next several years. We can’t compensate for all the capital investment that the oil patch has pulled out, but we can contribute something, and try and create work for some of the firms that need work to keep some of the trades people working, and at the same time get infrastructure built at a lower cost.”

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Mason says construction bids are coming in much lower right now, which is most beneficial to tax payers, noting he wants to get the work done to help struggling communities.

However, as he explained, the provincial government has to be very conscience of spending, as revenues have declined by nearly 20-per cent over the past year and a half.