Alberta Legislature considers allowing tolls on new highway projects

A recently introduced bill would allow Alberta Transportation Ministry to collect tolls to finance the construction of new or expanded highway infrastructure projects.

Bill 43, the Financing Alberta’s Strategic Transportation Act, was introduced Nov. 3, according to information from Alberta Transportation Ministry. If the Legislative Assembly of Alberta passes the bill, one project is already queued up.

Planning and design work could begin on construction of the new bridge on Highway 697 over the Peace River at Tompkins Landing.

This bridge would replace the winter ice road crossing and aging seasonal ferry at Tompkins Landing. The bridge is expected to cost $200 million. It was not included in the province’s 2020-23 capital plan.

Bill 43 would provide a way to build infrastructure faster without increasing the capital budget and could accelerate capital spending in areas that support economic growth and trade, according to Alberta Transportation.

The government would be allowed to collect tolls to build or maintain infrastructure projects with certain conditions:

• The government engages with stakeholders for each project.
• A not-tolled alternative route is available or stakeholder engagement supports proceeding without a not-tolled alternative route.
• The tolls must be removed once a project has been paid for.

Transportation Minister Ric McIver, quoted by CBC News, said tolls would only apply to new projects, and only in cases where there are other routes people can use for free.

“In other words, as an Albertan, if you never want to pay a toll in your life, you don’t have to, period,” McIver said.

With toll financing, the project could be completed by 2025 or 2026 , McIver told the CBC News. McIver said according to traffic data collected by the Transportation Ministry it would take about 30 years to pay for the bridge.

The bill faces opposition in the legislature.

Rachel Notley, leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party who was premier 2015-19, said the bill would open the province up for more tolls. She also complained, according to CBC news, that the tolls were not going to be restricted to industrial routes as she said had been promised. LL