Financing transportation projects

Overview

Bill 43, the Financing Alberta’s Strategic Transportation Act, allows government to collect tolls to finance the construction of new or expanded highway infrastructure projects.

Bill 43 alsos provide a way to build infrastructure faster without increasing the Capital Budget and could accelerate capital spending in areas that support economic growth and trade.

Alberta has an extensive highway network that requires significant investment to maintain and rehabilitate, approximately 64,000 lane kilometres of roads and nearly 4,600 bridges and interchanges. Tolls have been used successfully in other provinces, including British Columbia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

Key changes

Bill 43, the Financing Alberta’s Strategic Transportation Act:

• allows government to collect tolls to build or maintain infrastructure projects if:
  • government engages with stakeholders for each project
  • a non-toll alternative route is available, or stakeholder engagement supports proceeding without a non-toll alternative route
• removes tolls after a project has been paid for

Next steps

Bill 43 received royal assent on December 9, 2020 and came into effect the same day.

Planning and design work will begin on construction of the new bridge on Highway 697 over the Peace River at Tompkins Landing.

News

• Fast-tracking roads and bridge construction (November 3, 2020)