Lafarge Canada’s Northern Alberta construction team is kicking off 2021 with upgrades at the Highway 19 and Highway 60 intersections west of Edmonton.

Highway 19 is a 12-kilometre, two-lane, high-volume, high-load corridor connecting Highway 60 and Highway 2. It is a critical piece of infrastructure that supports continued economic growth in the capital region.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Przemyslaw Skiba, vice president and general manager of Northern Alberta. “There was a lot of discussion and preplanning with the communities. Now that a consensus has been reached, we can have a huge impact on the safety of the motorists who use the road every day, and align with future plans for the Edmonton International Airport.”

The company will provide all raw inputs into the project as well as manage the construction, supplying 375 m3 of ready mix concrete, 66,000 tonnes of asphalt and 300,000 tonnes of aggregates. “We provide a one stop shop. We pair our interchange experience with resource and cost certainty, and it helps to maximize the tax dollars at work,” said Skiba.

Alberta Transportation awarded the contract to Lafarge in early 2021, triggering the construction of 3.5 km of four new lanes of highway, two new traffic signals and illumination at the Highway 19 and Highway 60 intersections. It also includes 1.5 km of widening on Highway 60, and one bridge culvert extension and one bridge culvert rehab.

“It will make a big difference to the people who live here,” remarked Skiba. “This was a dangerous roadway for a long time – lots of collisions and injuries. It feels good to know that Alberta Transportation is making this change for Edmonton, and that we can be a part of it.”

Construction on the project begins in the spring of 2021 and is scheduled for completion in October 2022.