County seeks feedback on rural road safety and service levels

Update of rural roads master plan begins with public engagement

Strathcona County wants to hear from residents on how they use the rural road network, their safety and maintenance concerns, and their vision for future roads.

The feedback will inform an update of the Sustainable Rural Roads Master Plan, which guides how the County’s rural roads are maintained and improved. 

“Strathcona County is committed to providing a safe rural road network. High quality rural roads are essential to our quality of life,” says Mayor Rod Frank. “The master plan guiding how we maintain our rural road infrastructure should be informed by those who depend on those roads every day. During budget deliberations in 2018, Council added $3 million to the 2019 and 2020 operating budgets to improve rural road conditions – so this is a top priority for us.”

Residents are invited to drop in between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at one of the open houses being held throughout the County, to learn more and share feedback.

Wednesday, November 20
South Cooking Lake Hall
100, 22106 South Cooking Lake Road

Thursday, November 21
Strathcona Olympiette Centre
25 – 52029 Range Road 224

Monday, November 25
Antler Lake Uncas Hall
1A 52343 Range Road 211

Wednesday November 27
Hastings Lake
51080 Range Road 204

Monday, December 2
Ardrossan Memorial Hall
60 First Avenue

Wednesday, December 4
Josephburg Hall
57, 54569 Range Road 215

Residents are also invited to complete an online survey at strathcona.ca/srrmp before December 18.

Resident input will be considered along with the economic, social and safety benefits; technical standards; and the need to protect the environment when developing practices and priorities for maintenance and improvements.

The master plan update, last completed in 2010, will review maintenance practice and upgrades, as well as the methods and criteria for prioritization of the roads.

Preliminary recommendations for the update will be presented in spring 2020 for resident feedback.

Strathcona County has approximately 1,300 kilometres of rural roadways, including 940 kilometres of grid roads; 330 kilometres of residential roadways within 202 country residential subdivisions; and 30 kilometres of residential roadways within our eight rural hamlets.   

More information: strathcona.ca/srrmp

Set in the centre of Alberta’s energy and agricultural heartland, Strathcona County is a thriving, successful and vibrant community of over 98,000 residents. Strathcona County is made up of the urban area of Sherwood Park and a large adjacent rural area of farms, acreages and smaller hamlets. It is home to 75 per cent of hydrocarbon processing in Western Canada. Strathcona County is a leader in environmental conservation, and 55 per cent of its land is within the UNESCO Beaver Hills Biosphere. With a focus on economic, governance, social, cultural and environmental sustainability, Strathcona County is committed to balancing the unique needs of its diverse community.

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Contact: Communications, 780-410-6595