February 20, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Funding Collaboration for Twinning Highway 40

After much deliberation and careful consideration, the Municipal District of Greenview Council has passed a motion,

“to approve the expenditure of up to 50% of the project costs for the twinning of highway 40 for approximately 20 km up to and including the intersection of TWP 700 not exceeding $60 Million with funds to come from the road infrastructure reserves to be provided to the government of Alberta – $30 Million in 2020 and $30 Million in 2021 and that any contributions from other funding contributors be deducted from the MD’s funding portion.”

In recognizing that this infrastructure is owned by the provincial government, Greenview Council gave extensive consideration to this funding partnership. Finding a balance in supporting industry demands, safety for the travelling public, and the future demands of Highway 40 with the development of TMIP, Council agreed to this major funding

contribution in the spirit of collaboration, economic growth, and regional prosperity.

Both the County of Grande Prairie and Greenview Councils recognize the current financial demands facing our provincial leaders. Both the County and Greenview are grateful to the provincial government for their commitment to seeing this project move forward in 2020.

Greenview will continue to strive for balance with our own infrastructure demands in addition to this major project.

“Knowing that this project would not move forward if the province were going to have to fund the full project, Council has chosen to pioneer a new and innovative approach to regional prosperity,” said Reeve Dale Smith, “The MD of Greenview recognizes the importance of collaboration with our municipal partners, industry stakeholders, and other levels of government. Greenview Council is proud to support this shared funding opportunity that will improve the safety of the travelling public along this corridor that helps drive the economy throughout the region.”

“The County of Grande Prairie recognized the urgent need to partner to fund and expedite upgrades to Highway 40 to improve safety for the public,” says County of Grande Prairie Reeve Leanne Beaupre.  “This key transportation link is vital to stimulating economic development, including the Tri-Municipal Industrial Partnership. By working together, we can inject dollars into infrastructure upgrades when they’re most needed.”

Reeve Leanne Beaupre

“Our focus in Transportation is on maintaining our existing highways instead of building new ones, but projects like twinning Highway 40 are important for economic development and job creation. We need to think creatively about how to fund projects like this if we want them to move forward quickly, and that’s exactly what we did. The MD of Greenview and County of Grande Prairie’s agreement to cost-share means that Highway 40 moves off the unfunded project list and into the capital plan, accelerating construction to start this year.”

Ric McIver, Minister of Transportation

“Highway 40 is part of our government’s commitment to build critical infrastructure that will create jobs and grow the economy. This project will not only improve the safety of this route but will lead to increased investment and needed jobs for Albertans. Highway 40 is a critical trade corridor for the Grande Prairie region and I’m pleased we have the support of the MD of Greenview as well as the County of Grande Prairie for this project.”

Travis Toews, MLA for Grande Prairie-Wapiti, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance

Please click here to view and download the full news release.

Media inquiries may be directed to:

Dale Smith, Reeve
Cell: 780.558.9337

Stacey Sevilla, Manager, Communications and Marketing
Direct: 780.524.9502
stacey.sevilla@mdgreenview.ab.ca
Web: mdgreenview.ab.ca