Cold Lake has voted to increase its Capital Road Improvement Program by just over $1 million after the Government of Alberta confirmed the continuation of an annual grant.
Cold Lake City Council had allocated $719,000 to the 2017 Capital Road Improvement Program, which generally sees significant funding from the Basic Municipal Transportation Grant (BMTG). Because the continuation of the BMTG, along with the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) grant, had not been confirmed by the Government of Alberta prior to the City’s budget process, the funding was not initially included in 2017 programming.
“Council took a prudent approach not to include grants that we did not know we were going to get in our budget,” Copeland said. “We are grateful that these grant programs were extended and we hope that this signals the continuation of these municipal grants on a long-term basis.”
Including the BMTG in the Capital Road Improvement Program brings the program’s total funding to $1.75 million for 2017, matching the funding the program saw in 2016.
The Capital Road Improvement Program resurfaces roadways on a priority basis. Roads are prioritized with the help of software that analyzes the roads’ surface condition to help engineering staff determine which roadways’ lifespans can best be extended through resurfacing rather than complete replacement.
The number of projects completed under the program each year are dependent on the level of funding as well as the prices for road work supplied by contractors bidding through the tender process.
In 2016, seven road projects throughout the city were completed through the Capital Road Improvement program.