Title
Alberta Transportation Bridge Report - Hwy 16 east of Range Road 42
Proposed Motion
That Council approve up to $6,250,000 to be funded from debt for the construction of a pedestrian and wildlife underpass at Highway 16, east of Range Road 42, as presented.
Body
Administration Recommendation
Administration does not support the proposed motion.
The cost of the project was initially estimated to be between $3.5M and $4M. Council provided support to move ahead with the detailed design and cost estimate. The cost has been estimated at $6.25M. Administration does not feel there is enough return on this investment to be supported.
Purpose
RFD 22-201 was presented to Council on July 12, 2022. At the conclusion of this meeting, Council approved $150,000 towards completing the design of a pedestrian and wildlife underpass on Highway 16 east of Range Road 42. Administration was directed to complete design and return to Council with an updated project cost estimate. Administration was also directed to review right-of-way considerations and provide additional information on trail alignment options. Administration has completed these tasks and provides the detail in the report below.
Summary
The detailed design was completed by Alberta Transportation in December 2022 and was shared with Parkland County on January 10, 2023. The proposed design is included as Attachment 1. The proposed design provides a 4.5 metres open clear space for pedestrians and wildlife movements through the corridor and would be completed with an unpaved/granular surface material. The length of the corridor is approximately 80 metres and is recommended to have LED lighting installed to ensure there is visibility through the corridor. The original proposal was to include a sky-light in the centre median of Highway 16 to avoid artificial lighting requirements however this is not supported by Alberta Transportation as it impacts highway operations and long-term maintenance of the highway corrido...
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