Plans underway for Highway 3 twinning connection to Medicine Hat

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Ryan Dahlman

Southern Alberta Newspapers

On Sept. 19 members of Medicine Hat’s development and infrastructure committee were provided a brief presentation updating the progress of the Highway 3 twinning project currently underway between Taber to Burdett.

Eventually the project will twin Highway 3 between Medicine Hat and the Alberta-B.C. Border, and preliminary designs are underway for Highway 3 twinning from Whitla (east of Highway 885) to Medicine Hat.

The work will include expanding Highway 3 from two undivided lanes in each direction to four total lanes divided in each direction.

Two bypass opinions have been proposed for entering Medicine Hat and have been designed to allow adequate clearance for potential airport runway extensions and run north of where Highway 3 currently is closer to the city’s boundary.

Both options allow Highway 3 to connect to the city near the Medicine Hat Regional Airport at a new proposed service road that will be constructed north of the airport.

“There are considerations on behalf of the city that were expressed to the province,” said Stan Nowakowski, director of municipal works. “Including protection of land for the airport runway in case of expansion in the future.”

“There’s also connections to the city’s road network, transportation network and also utility considerations that we’ve kind of plugged into their project.”

Right now the province is gathering input from adjacent landowners and business and community groups, as well as the City of Medicine Hat, County of Forty Mile, Cypress County and First Nations.

So far the province has held two public engagement sessions earlier this month at Medicine Hat College and in Seven Persons. Transportation and economic corridors will be reviewing the feedback they received from stakeholders and the public, and are planning to host a second round of public engagement sessions that are “tentatively” planned for spring 2025.

“The next steps for the city is we’ll continue to engage with the province as this project progresses,” said Nowakowski.

The province has not identified a schedule for construction of highway twinning near Medicine Hat. The project will be completed in right-phases and is budgeted to cost more than $170 million.