By Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

Options being narrowed down for Crowsnest Pass truck route

Dec 11, 2017 | 4:15 AM

CROWSNEST PASS – There’s no timeline, and no funding for construction. But the planning for the eventual twinning of Highway 3 through the Crowsnest Pass continues.

An open house was held in November for the functional planning study of twinning Highway 3 between Sentinel and Pincher Creek. One of the major components – and most complicated – is through Coleman, where the plan is to build a separate truck route, designated Highway 3X.

The number of possible routes for 3X has been narrowed down, with options north of Coleman now ruled out. There are multiple options as well for interchanges at either end of the truck route.

“The factors we have to take into account are, of course, the terrain, the climate, the environmental issues, long-term sustainability, as well as input from stakeholders, regulators, as well as the public,” explained Firoz Kara, infrastructure engineer with Alberta Transportation. “So, what we have to do is figure out the routing, what the footprint is going to look like, access locations, and design standards.”

Kara added potential routes do involve contaminated sites, including old coal mines and waste piles. But the government also wants to avoid using up land that may be available for residential or other uses.

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It’s a process that goes as far back as the 1960s, and was last studied in 2009. The uncertainty has itself been an issue, Crowsnest Pass Mayor Blair Painter said, partly because of land Alberta Transportation has tied up for possible routes.

“It’s to the point right now where we are unable to move forward or to expand or to grow because of the uncertainty of where this highway’s going to go. So, we need to have this resolved,” Painter said in an interview.

“There’s land tied up for 20-plus kilometres. It’s difficult. We don’t live in the prairies. We live in the mountains; we live in a valley. We have to contend with a major highway, major CP Rail line, major pipelines, and a river. So, all the way through the corridor, Transportation owns property.”

Another concern for the community is a potential loss of business if traffic is diverted from the existing two-lane highway through Coleman. Kara said modelling indicates drivers using Highway 3X would mostly be through traffic, and nearly half of the current traffic load would still access the highway services by using the business route.

Painter said a reduced speed limit on the truck route may reduce the incentive for tourists to use it and bypass the town. The municipality would still benefit by diverting large trucks and hazardous goods out of the community. Congestion and commute times for residents would also be reduced.

Also being studied are improvements to the section between Sentinel and Blairmore.

Painter said it’s impossible to please everyone, but with more open houses planned for next year there could be a route chosen by late 2018 or early 2019.