Neerlandia Highway tops County of Barrhead council's concerns

BARRHEAD - Rehabilitation of the Neerlandia Highway, replacement of the Athabasca River Bridge outside Fort Assiniboine, and improved school zone highway signage top the list of County of Barrhead council's concerns when they meet with Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen.

Councillors accepted an invitation at their Sept. 17 meeting to meet with the minister during Rural Municipalities of Alberta's (RMA) upcoming fall conference in early November, selecting the topics of discussion and narrowing it down from about half a dozen possibilities.

The RMA is an independent association comprising 69 counties and municipal districts of Alberta. Its purpose is to advocate for issues impacting rural municipalities at the provincial and federal levels.

Typically, before the RMA fall conference, several top provincial cabinet ministers often avail themselves to interested municipalities.

County manager Debbie Oyarzun noted that if the municipality is one of the councils the minister selects to speak with, the time would be limited to 15 to 30 minutes at best, suggesting the need to limit potential topics to their top three concerns and potentially have a fourth in their pocket, if time permits.

Reeve Doug Drozd said their top priority should be the continuation of improvements to Highway 769, adding the road's condition has deteriorated to the point where it can no longer be ignored.

He also suggested highway school zone signage, specifically signs surrounding Dunstable School on Highway 651, referring to the number of drivers that whiz past the school well over the 30 km/h speed limit.

It was something that the county's community police officer, Shae Guy, also identified earlier in the meeting, adding that he and county manager Debbie Oyarzun have attempted to have Alberta Transportation improve the signage at the school to no avail.

"Something like they have at Rich Valley School would be ideal," Drozd said.

On both sides before Rich Valley School, two electronic signs display that a 70 km/h school zone is ahead, followed by an additional conventional school zone 250 metre ahead sign, followed by the school zone signs themselves.

Dunstable has two conventional yellow "school zone ahead signs" followed by a school zone stating the 30 km/h speed limit.

Oyarzun agreed with the reeve, adding that even if Alberta Transportation said the school zone times, it would be an improvement.

"[Drivers] will either slow down to 70 km/h when the speed limit is 100 km/h or down to 70 km/h when the speed limit should be 30 km/h," she said. "There is that uncertainty."

Executive assistant to the county manager Pam Dodds interjected drivers should already know when school zones are in effect as part of the requirements to get their driver's licence.

"But they don't," Oyarzun replied.

Coun. Walter Preugschas stated it is sometimes difficult to determine when school zones are in effect as Dunstable, Neerlandia Public Christian School, and Fort Assiniboine School often have Fridays off.

Coun. Paul Properzi suggested the speedy replacement of the Athabasca Bridge near Fort Assiniboine.

In August 2023, part of the bridge's concrete in the middle of the driving lanes gave way, leaving a hole roughly three-and-a-half to four feet wide and six feet long on the bridge. 

In October 2023, Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken told Woodlands County councillors that Alberta Transportation was looking for someone to oversee the design process, which will take about two years. After that, he said the consultation process would begin, followed by permitting before securing funding for the project.

Drozd suggested access to the Pembina and Athabasca rivers, saying people parking near the makeshift roadway on the south side of the Pembina River bridge to access the river as a safety concern.

As has the Barrhead RCMP in years past. In 2017, then Barrhead RCMP Detachment commander Sgt. Bob Dodds called the access a tragedy in the making.

"It's on a curve, and people slow down to drive into the ditch to get to the access area. They then have to cross traffic when they leave and turn left to return to Barrhead. There is going to be a potentially serious collision there," he said.

Other potential topics discussed included control of provincial highways and the addition of a turning lane on Highway 18 for Range Road 40 heading west.

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com