Everyone can agree that Highway 63 is one that needs to be twinned, but since an April 27 accident that claimed the lives of seven people, calls have become even more strident for action on this infrastructure project.
Plans were announced to twin the more than 240-kilometre stretch of highway in 2006, but since then, action has been slow-moving. According to Alberta Transportation, 16 kilometres has been twinned south of Fort McMurray, while 17 kilometres have been twinned north of the city. Meanwhile, 46 people have been killed in crashes along the highway between 2006 and 2010.
Official Opposition leader Danielle Smith has said that if the province continues at the current rate, the highway won’t be twinned for seven years, and who is to say how many more accidents may take place in that amount of time?
One can understand why the twinning has gone slowly; there are challenges with building a safe highway on muskeg, environmental concerns, and keeping the highway open for business. Alberta Transportation has made one important step already in paving Highway 881, which is used as an alternative route for people in this area and which takes some of the pressure off the congested Highway 63.
But from a safety and practical standpoint, a key economic centre like Fort McMurray desperately needs this kind of infrastructure as an access to the hub of Edmonton. Given the frustrating nature of some of the slow-moving and heavy traffic to the centre of oil sands activity, it is not surprising there is reportedly a lot of risk-taking by drivers who pass multiple vehicles, or pass on double lines or solid lines or on the crest of a hill.
Last week, Premier Alison Redford announced she wants to fast-track the twinning of this highway. One can only hope that with this stated intention, there is actually swifter action – but it won’t be fast enough to bring back families and lives already lost. Twinning the highway may alleviate some of the traffic pressure, but it is no substitute for common sense either. In the long run, it’s imperative that drivers avoid taking unnecessary risks that might save them a few minutes, but which might also cost them their lives.
