An Alberta Transportation owned bridge crossing the Bigelow Reservoir on Highway 587 northwest of the Town of Trochu is in need of repairs, and Kneehill County council is preparing a letter of concern to Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen.
Council directed administration to draft the letter and arrange a meeting with Minister Dreeshan during the spring Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) convention in March 2023 during the regular Tuesday, December 13 council meeting.
“The bridge in question was first brought to our attention (by Division 6 Councillor Wade Christie) a number of months ago,” stated Director of Infrastructure Mike Ziehr during the meeting.
He noted the bridge falls under the jurisdiction of Alberta Transportation, and the county made the department aware of these concerns. An inspection was carried out by the province in February 2022 which showed several concerns.
However, following the inspection, the county was informed Alberta Transportation is “not looking to repair (the bridge) anytime soon” and is not being included “anywhere in their future plans for budgeting;” there are some concerns the bridge could be placed under weight restriction, or suffer failure or loss of the structure if it is left unrepaired, and the impact this could have as traffic is diverted off the highway and onto county-owned gravel roads.
Deputy Reeve Ken King questioned whether it might be better to address the issue in a face-to-face meeting with Minister Dreeshen at the spring RMA convention.
Council approved sending the letter of concern to Minister Dreeshen, and to also meet with Minister Dreeshen at the spring RMA convention if the opportunity was available.