Alberta gov’t, oil industry deal to scrap high-load corridor permits

EDMONTON — The Province of Alberta will eliminate the high-load corridor permit fees for heavy-haul carriers transporting equipment and supplies to the oilsands between Edmonton and Fort McMurray.

The agreement between the government and the Athabasca Regional Issues Working Group requires industry to take on the job of permanently relocating utility lines for the transport of oversized loads on carrier routes. (sections of highways 14, 15, 28, 36, 45, 63, 831, 834 and 881.)

The government began construction of the high-load corridor in 1985 by burying lines along highways. The corridor has been expanded every year, with the government collecting permit fees from industry to recover costs. Many sections of the corridor still have above-ground utility lines that need to be raised, however.

The oilsands industry is spending about $4 million to bury or permanently raise the lines. The ARIW group estimates that with the elimination of the corridor fees, industry will recover its costs over a three-years.

“This arrangement is another example of industry and government working together to improve the infrastructure to move large loads essential in the construction of mega projects,” Dr. Lyle Oberg, Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, said in a news release. “These improvements will eliminate expensive delays and congestion that result from equipment sitting idle while lines are being temporarily raised. This is good for industry and for the economy of the province as a whole.”