Alberta unlikely to rush deadly Highway 63 twinning

Alberta is unlikely todouble the number of lanes on Highway 63 in northeastern Alberta in the wake of a crash that left seven people dead last week.

Deputy Premier Doug Horner saystwinning the dangerous highway right away isn't as easy as it sounds.

"When you think about the amount of traffic that's on the road today; when you think about the amount of environmental sensitivity with some of the crossings that we have to do; when you think about the actual terrainis pouring more money at it going to make it faster?"

Horner says completing 30 or 40 kilometers a year is the best way to get all 250 kilometers done.

"I think that what we do need to do is make sure that we're doing it on an ongoing basis that we're not disrupting the traffic patterns."

MLA to make twinning a priority

Horner was responding to growing demands to twin the road whichconnects Fort McMurray and the booming oilsands to Edmonton.

"Everyone would like to see it completed yesterday," said Mike Allen,incoming MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo."There's been many deaths on the highway in the last number of years."

'The things I have witnessed drivers doing on that road are insane.' Truck driverMike High

Allensaid he'll push to make the work a priority when the legislature resumes.

Wildrose leader Danielle Smith says people in the area have heard that promise before.

"I think what were hearing is that the Fort McMurray community is very upset. That they continue to get promised these things during elections and then once the election is over it falls off the priority list," she said.

Smith says the province should look about partnering with the regional government or oil companies to see if the project can be sped up.

Thehighway has earned the moniker The Highway of Death it has been the scene of more than 1,000 crashes between 2001 and 2005, and 25 people have died.

Recently, 33 kilometres ofthe 250-kilometre stretch ofhighway have been twinned, whileanother 36 will be completed by fall 2013.

'Shame on you'

Anonline petitionposted afterfive adults and two children died in a head-oncrash north of Wandering River, south of Fort McMurray, has gathered almost 8,000 names in three days.

"If you do nothing to speed up the completion of this project, you are allowing tragedies to continue ...... shame on you!" wrote Julie Swift, who signed thepetitionSunday.

Fort McMurray blogger Teresa Wellswrote an open letter to Premier Alison Redford on the night of the tragedy,saying the province isn't moving fast enough on promises to twin the busy highway.

"I think sometimes people forget about us way up north, and they're happy to see the economic benefits, but they dont' realize those come with a cost," she said.

More police on patrol urged

Wells also recommended the province put more police on the patrol to nab reckless drivers.

In fact some say twinning the highway will do little toreduce the number ofcrashes.

"I think we'll have the same number of accidents," saidHal Pressling, chief of the Plamondon volunteer fire department which attended the crashscene Friday.

"There will be a lot of accidents due to the speed and the rush people are in to get down that highway," he said.

Pressing's view is reinforced by at least one trucker who drives the highway regularly.

"Ihave already named it the highway of stupid drivers," said Mike High. "The things I have witnessed drivers doing on that road are insane."

"The worse time to be on that road is Thursdays which is shift change in Fort McMurray and the surrounding projects,"said High,who drives arig in the oil patch.

Highsaid he sees:

• Drivers speeding more than 40 km/h over the speed limit.
• Speeding in blinding snow storms.
• Passing on curves, blind hills ordouble-solid lines, orpassing three or four tractor-trailer units at one time.

He also sees drivers become impatient, leading to them taking risk and potentially endangering lives, he said.