Alberta’s government has issued the tender for the construction of the overpass interchange to improve the flow of traffic at Highway 22 and Highway 1A in Cochrane, making both highways safer and easing congestion.
When complete in the fall of 2025, the project will include an expansion of Highway 1A from two to four lanes (two lanes in each direction) from just west of Highway 22 to 6th Avenue (east of Big Hill Creek); two new bridges on Highway 1A over Big Hill Creek (the existing bridge will be removed); replacement of the Highway 22 CP Rail overpass over Highway 1A with a new larger overpass structure; and new interchange ramps and roundabouts connecting Highways 1A and 22 as part of the interchange.
The original scope of the project has been expanded. Highway 1A east from the interchange will be four lanes so it ties into the Town of Cochrane’s Highway 1A improvement project. The scope was also expanded north on Highway 22 just beyond the Sunset Blvd intersection.
Now that a tender has been issued, it’s confirmed that construction will begin in spring 2023 after a contract is signed. The interchange is slated to take about three years to complete.
Alberta Minister of Transportation Devin Dreeshen came to The Station in Cochrane last Friday to confirm and announce the official go-ahead for the project, as evidenced by the fact the tender has been issued.
Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung and members of Town administration played no small role in seeing this long-awaited project come to fruition. The municipality fast-tracked the relocation of utilities at the top of the hill earlier this year, which was a vital pre-interchange construction step done in cooperation with provincial partners in a way that meant a significant amount of earth was moved once instead of twice.
As originally designed, there were gaps between the Town’s planned upgrades and the provincial interchange project. The Town identified the gaps and lobbied and negotiated with the province and developers to close them at an additional cost.
Separate from the interchange project, the Town of Cochrane began widening a section of Highway 1A through the town last summer.
Reference was made at the news conference that some residents may be confused, as all the heavy equipment seen working north of Highway 1A this summer must have meant the project was already underway. Actually, the dirt that was moved from the west side to the east side of Highway 22 was a result of the Town making an agreement with the province to get the ball rolling, and move more earth than technically necessary to relocate the utilities at the top of the hill (a Town responsibility) and deposit it where it will be eventually needed for the interchange.
In short, the Town argued, ‘Why move the dirt twice?’ and the groundwork began, meaning the interchange work got a head start.
The Town also addressed gaps in the original plans, and was successful in negotiating over $20 million in additional improvements with the province to fill them.
The first gap would have resulted in Highway 1A being reduced from four lanes down to two lanes for a short distance (in front of the Historic Cochrane Ranche), then back up to four lanes at the interchange. Thanks to $11 million in additional project scope, that route will now be four lanes all the way through.
The second gap as originally scoped had the new four-lane section of Highway 22 north of the interchange narrowing down before the entrance to Sunset Ridge – the largest community in town. As a result of collaboration between the Town, province, and Melcor Developments, the new four lane highway will now extend past Sunset Boulevard, at an additional scope of $10.5 million.
Dreeshen opened his remarks on Friday with praise for the Town of Cochrane.
“The Town has done a tremendous amount of work in and around this project,” the minister said, before confirming the tendering process will arrive at a successful bidder getting shovels in the ground next spring.
“Overall, [this is] a huge win for not just the residents in the area but also for the province, because this is such an important tourism corridor,” Dreeshen said.
Genung had a hard time taking the smile off his face at the event. With a nod to Airdrie-Cochrane MLA and Alberta Energy Minister Peter Guthrie, he noted this was probably the 10th time the two of them had appeared at a news event about the project.
“I think I’m confident in saying, ‘It’s time.’ And I mean that with all due respect,” Genung said.
“It takes the work of many hands, over many years, pulling together.”
Genung praised Guthrie for his work on the project, before handing over a symbolic shovel, as the province will be the next jurisdiction to move dirt on the project.
The Town’s executive director of development and infrastructure services Drew Hyndman said seeing the project come to fruition was the result of a long, complicated, determined effort and significant collaboration between several different stakeholders – TC Energy, CP Rail, Pembina Pipelines, Alberta Transportation, Melcor Developments, and the Town of Cochrane.
And he singled out one advocate in particular.
“The mayor was relentless in advocating for Cochrane,” Hyndman said.
On average, 29,200 vehicles per day use the Highway 1A/22 intersection, according to figures presented at the news conference. From Highway 1A, 12,500 vehicles per day enter the intersection. From Highway 22, 16,700 vehicles per day enter the intersection.
