Highway 3 Twinning

Taber to Burdett

Base lift paving between Range Road 162-161
Highway 3 Twinning Project, Southern AB

Overview

This project will involve building two new eastbound lanes adjacent to the existing highway to ‘twin’ the 46 km stretch from Taber to Burdett. 

Once completed the new 4-lane highway will provide several improvements for southern Alberta, including:

  • expanding the highway’s capacity, enhancing safety, and accommodating future growth;
  • supporting economic development by improving access to this area; and 
  • increasing the efficient movement of goods and people – in particular, larger truck traffic.

Highway 3 is part of Canada’s National Highway System, moving people, goods, and services inter-provincially and internationally: The corridor provides a primary connection between southern Alberta to provinces east and west, and it is one of only 3 continuous east-west routes through Alberta. 

This is the first phase of the Alberta Government’s Highway 3 Twinning Project that will be completed in phases. This section of Highway 3 sees an average of 3,000 to 5,000 vehicles per day.

Gravel placement between Range Road 163 - 162
Highway 3 Twinning Project, Southern AB

Project Details

Highway construction on this project will take up to 3 years to complete and include:

  • Building an 8 km, new four-lane divided highway bypassing Grassy Lake
  • 11 bridge structures
  • Intersection improvements
    • Acceleration/deceleration lanes
    • Intersection widening
    • Streetlighting
  • 2 rest area pullouts – 1 x Westbound and 1 x Eastbound
  • 10 service roads

Fast facts:

  • 2,813,400 cubic meters of grading work
  • 1,044,300 tonnes of granular base 
  • 475,000 tonnes of asphalt concrete pavement
  • 802 new signs
  • 38 km of fencing
  • 58 new streetlights

Aerial Photos (PDF Download)

Highway 3 Twinning Project

Highway 3 Taber to Burdett Construction Staging

Highway 3 Grassy Lake Bypass

SMRID Lateral 17 Steel Casing Pipe Installation
Highway 3 Twinning Project, Southern AB

Timelines

Ledcor Highways began construction of minor bridge work in winter 2023 before active construction began in spring 2024. Project completion date is anticipated for Fall 2026.

An environmental evaluation was completed for the project before construction began, which reviewed existing conditions, potential impacts and mitigation measures for all key valued ecosystem components (for example, soil, vegetation, wildlife, fisheries, noise, historical/cultural resources, First Nations consultation).

Bridge Culverts: Structure 3, Structure 6, Structure 7

•  Subgrade: Range Road 163 – 140

•  Gravel: Range Road 163 – 155

•  Base Lift Paving: Range Road 163 – 155

•  Bridge Culverts: Structure 1-2, Structure 4, Structure 5, Structure 9-10, Structure 11

•  Subgrade: Range Road 155 – 123

•  Gravel: Range Road 155 – 131

•  Base Lift Paving: Range Road 155 – 131

•  Final Lift Paving: Range Road 163 – 141

•  Bridge Culverts: Any remaining clean up work

• Subgrade: Range Road 123 – 121

• Gravel: Range Road 131 – 123

• Base Lift Paving: Range Road 131 – 121

• Final Lift Paving: Range Road 141 – Range Road 121

Construction Updates and Impacts

For the latest updates on construction progress and detours please signup for the Highway 3 Twinning newsletter.

Past newsletters are available here in a downloadable PDF format:

Contact

Ledcor Highways Project Manager
Email: hwy3twinning@ledcor.com
Phone: 1-866-453-3267

To connect with the Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors Project Administrator, please go to:

https://www.alberta.ca/highway-3-twinning-taber-to-burdett

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

A functional planning study was completed in 2019, followed by land acquisition, environmental evaluation, and some preliminary engineering.

All necessary environmental permits and approvals were in place before construction began. An environmental evaluation was completed to assess impacts and mitigation measures. It reviewed existing conditions, potential impacts, and mitigation measures for all key valued ecosystem components (e.g., soil, vegetation, wildlife, fisheries, noise, historical/cultural resources, First Nations consultation). For example,  a Ferruginous Hawk nest was relocated before construction. 

Yes, the existing highway will remain open; businesses will remain accessible throughout the project.

No, access to farmland and irrigation systems will remain unchanged, however, access will be from local roads.

Yes, the new eastbound lanes will be built next to the existing highway, except for the bypass around Grassy Lake.

The bypass avoids significant impacts to the community, offering better opportunities for vehicles and pedestrians to connect across the existing highway while minimizing the impacts on private property.

The width of the grassed median separating the lanes will be between 47 metres and 60 metres, from centerline to centerline.

Yes, shoulder rumble strips will be installed to alert drivers if they drift out of their lane.

Existing passing lanes will be removed and converted into a grassed median.

The old lanes will become the westbound lanes. The current passing lanes will be removed, and the surface will be re-painted with appropriate lane markings for one-way traffic.