An economic impact study released today by the County of Grande Prairie shows that a proposed 19-kilometre twinning project on Highway 40 near the City of Grande Prairie is expected to generate a net social benefit of approximately $483.7 million. The study, conducted by Nichols Applied Management Inc., also highlighted additional benefits of the project that include travel time cost savings and improvements to highway safety.

“Highway 40 is an economic engine for our region and for the province,” said County of Grande Prairie Reeve Leanne Beaupre. “This study is a tool that helps us better understand and quantify the value of investing in infrastructure improvements to this critical transportation link.”

Last December, the provincial government announced its plans to twin the first 19-kilometre stretch of the highway. While initially, construction was expected to begin in 2022, with the road fully operational in 2024, no announcement has since been made on a project startdate.

Beaupre said the County along with local municipalities and stakeholders continue to advocate for a commitment to a timely start to the project.

Traffic safety on the highway is a particular concern, due in part to traffic volumes, road configuration, truck traffic and weather. Every day, more than 10,000 vehicles travel along the section of highway to be twinned. Volumes have been increasing over the past several years largely as a result of increased resource-based activities in the area.

Beaupre said she expects traffic volume to continue to grow with major developments being planned or already underway along the highway. One of those is the proposed world-class Tri-Municipal eco-Industrial Park – a partnership between the County, the City and Greenview.

The net benefit of the project was estimated over a 30-year time horizon (2022 to 2052) using real 2018 Canadian dollars. For further information about the study, visit www.countygp.ab.ca/highway40.