$65M Airdrie interchange creates easier access to new development sites

A new interchange connecting 40th Avenue and Queen Elizabeth II Highway opened in Airdrie Thursday morning.

The completed project includes a highway overpass, on-and off-ramps and a bridge.

Construction began in April 2021, and has wrapped up on time and within budget. The total cost was $65 million. The government of Alberta contributed $29.6 million, with the City of Airdrie putting up the remaining funds.

Airdrie's 2023 census shows the city's population has grown to over 80,000 residents, up 14 per cent since 2019.

Mayor Peter Brown says recent growth has led to more traffic and frustrated commuters. He is hopeful the new interchange will help ease rush-hour congestion.

"This project is going to really allow residents that live on the east-west side of the community and south Airdrie to get home at a decent time," Brown said.

"They're going to bypass all of that congestion, and they're going to do it safely."

Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said 75,000 commuter and 7,000 commercial vehicles pass through the area daily.

Dreeshen and Peter Guthrie, the province's infrastructure minister, were also at the ribbon cutting. Both said the interchange has economic benefits.

"It's so important to have a road network that can expand and work with that growth that happens, it really just instills more investor confidence for more businesses and more jobs here in southern Alberta," said Dreeshen.

In a recent statement, the City of Airdrie saidthe interchange "paves the way" for long-awaited land developments to proceed.

"An estimated 7,539 acres of land will become available for residential, industrial, commercial, and institutional projects over the next 30 years," it said.

Alberta owns some of the land surrounding the new interchange. Guthrie said the provincial government will work with Airdrie on plans for future development projects in the area.

"A lot of that development is local. That is part of the municipality's future plans," he said.

"There is coordination that needs to be had with the province of Alberta on those infrastructure needs."