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Laurie in Question Period

Anthony Henday Drive Interchanges

Ms Blakeman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Noise levels on Anthony Henday Drive in the west of Edmonton are too loud. The failure to replace signalized intersections with free flowing interchanges ensures that local residents are constantly subjected to the noise of engine retarder brakes on large trucks. In October the Premier told the city of Edmonton that funding would – and I quote – be considered in our next budget, end quote. But that funding is not there, and it’s not in the three year capital plan. My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Why is this government not constructing the interchanges?

Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, as we speak, we’re finishing up the functional planning on the Stony Plain Road interchange, and they’re continuing on the other ones. As fast as we can get that done and our budget permits, we will be trying to move ahead as fast as we can on interchanges.

Ms Blakeman: That’s interesting that they’re not in your plan at all. To the same minister: given that there are police, there are sheriffs, and there are transport officers on this road, why isn’t there sufficient enforcement of the laws preventing the use of engine retarder brakes to the level that lets the neighbours sleep at night?

Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, we don’t have a law within the traffic safety plan that takes safety measures away from vehicles. Engine retarder brakes are a safety braking device on a tractor trailer unit. We do ask avoidance of using retarder brakes for the comfort of all citizens.

Ms Blakeman: I would have thought it was a noise abatement problem here, but okay.

Again to the Minister of Transportation: since the Premier is already talking about off budget surplus spending before the budget has even been passed, can Edmontonians expect that these additional intersections could be approved from that windfall money as soon as possible?

Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, it’s great that our Premier cares about all Albertans and wants to make sure that we can make quality of life better. We can move things forward as fast as we can because of the great royalties that we get within this province. It’s great that we may have a surplus, and we may be able to accelerate our road systems to make life better for all Albertans.