If there is one thing that most residents of Cochrane can agree on, it is that traffic congestion is a major frustration. In fact, this has been the number one complaint of residents, and as a result, the number one priority for your Town Council to address. Having patiently and persistently lobbied the Provincial Governments for years to address the Province’s responsibility for the highways that run through Cochrane, Town Council has decided to take control of its own destiny, by implementing a “made in Cochrane” solution to address some of our traffic issues.
Town Council has decided to take the bold move of funding the long-awaited upgrades to Highway 1A from Centre Avenue to west of Fifth Avenue. This project will start in the Spring 2021, be complete in 2022, and will result in significant traffic flow improvements in a relatively short period of time.
The twinning of this critical roadway will not only relieve the regular bottlenecks currently experienced on the Cochrane Hill, it has also been strategically planned to complement the 1A/22 interchange project the Minister of Transportation, Ric McIver, continues to reassure Town Council will be completed. The funding for these upgrades to Highway 1A is made possible thanks to the Town getting approval for $3.48 million from the Province’s Municipal Stimulus Funding package earmarked to kickstart jobs and economic growth in our province. While the overall project price tag is $12.9 million, the balance will be funded from a combination of offsite levies and debt, with minimal impacts to your property taxes A win-win situation for all!
So, if you are frustrated with traffic situation in Cochrane, check out what your Town Council is doing to address it at cochrane.ca/trafficplan
