Cochrane is the fastest growing town in Alberta and it’s getting some major infrastructure upgrades this summer.
It’s been a busy construction season in the town and that’s led to frustration for both locals and people headed to the mountains as they deal with detours and delays.
“Our community has grown quite rapidly over the last 10 years, and we are trying to catch up on a number of transportation projects,” said Drew Hyndman, the town’s executive director of Development and Infrastructure Services.
“There is quite a bit happening in our community. We also have a number of constraints given that we have the Bow River in our community. We have the railway line and two major highways and topography, so there’s a lot to deal with. They are complex projects and we are doing our best,” Hyndman said.
A full closure of the intersection of Centre Avenue and First Street is required for four weeks to interconnect the East End and Centre Avenue storm systems and replace the water transmission main.
On top of that, CPKC rail has it’s own projects, Highway 1A through town is being upgraded and there’s the massive job of building a new interchange at Highway 1A at Highway 22.
“The traffic is backed up for blocks and blocks sometimes. It’s just unmanageable,” said Max Ivarson, who works in Cochrane.
“It’s extremely hectic. It’s a nightmare getting anywhere.”
Cochrane is growing at a rapid rate — now with a population of around 35,000 — but it also gets a slew of traffic from travelers headed to the hills.
“We’re also in one of those communities where people going to the mountains travel to, so there is an increase in traffic throughout the summer months so we’re trying to navigate and get these projects done,” Hyndman said.
Alternate routes have been set up and a temporary roundabout is being constructed on the northwest corner of the interchange, which will be open in August. It remains to be seen how the new roundabout will impact the flow.
Highway 1A is being expanded from two to four lanes — two lanes in each direction — from just west of Highway 22 to 6th Avenue to the east.
The interchange, which is a provincial project, is expected to open to traffic in 2025.
According to the province, the intersection at Highway 1A and Highway 22 sees an average of more than 29,000 vehicles a day and the numbers are also expected to increase significantly over the coming years.
“We are very cognizant of the impact that this is having on our residents and visitors to our community. We are trying to do the best to build our community and to deliver on long-term needs for it,” Hyndman said.
He added the upgrade of Highway 1A is intended to dovetail into the provincial interchange project.
He said the town has traffic management plans and alternate routes throughout the community, which they are encouraging people to utilize.
“I understand that there is a certain level of frustration amongst some of the residents, but at the same time it’s temporary impact for long-term benefit for our community which has seen tremendous growth over the last decade,” Hyndman said.
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