Keep an eye on 2026 capital budget for Highway 28, says Mayor Copeland

Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland at the April 2023 Highway 28 funding announcement at Town Hall in Bonnyville.

Mayor Craig Copeland says a close eye should be laid at the upcoming provincial budget in February to see whether there is a long-term spending commitment on Highway 28.

With Premier Danielle Smith’s recent visit to Bonnyville, municipal leaders got rare face-to-face access to discuss major local issues, before her fundraising dinner.

Millions have been promised for the beginning of studies and engineering for twinning portions of the highway. Key an eye on what’s promised for 2026, says Copeland.

He expects major funding to be promised in that range.

“28 is a major initiative. We’ve been asking for years and years. Our council is looking at it, where we’re trying to see if the 2026 capital is a bookmark for about $100 million bucks or something to start off the construction,” Copeland said on The Morning After. 

“It’s gonna be a massive project, and it’s going to take multiple years. We’ll be looking when they released the budget in February…is Highway 28 in there for the 2026 capital? If it’s not, we’ll deal with that then. But I’m expecting that it’s going to be there.”  

Promises

Smith told Lakeland Connect in an exclusive interview that there is a possibility it’s included in the budget.

“There was money in the last budget to look at the initial design phase. And I was trying to get an update from my Transportation Minister to see what we’d be looking at for prioritizing the construction and build of that project. So we have our budget coming down February the 29th. But I’ve heard loud and clear, it’s a major priority for this area,” she said.

In April 2023, $5 million was pledged for engineering and design work that would look at twinning Bonnyville to Cold Lake, passing lanes from Smoky Lake to Cold Lake, intersection upgrades, grade widening, curve reconstruction, and safety rest areas.

MLA Scott Cyr said in October that these plans could be finalized in July, and the total project could be in the $300 million range.