The Government of Alberta has awarded the City and County of Lacombe an Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) grant for the Functional Plan of the South Ring Road Connector. The grant will cover the entirety of the project’s planning costs up to $200,000. The City has no requirement to provide matching funds.  

“Council is thrilled to partner with the Government of Alberta on the future of transportation in Lacombe” Mayor Grant Creasey said. “The South Ring Road Connector is a critical development for alleviating future traffic concerns, and this plan will ensure this future road meets the needs of our growing community.” 

The South Ring Road Connector includes the connecting portion from Highway 12 to the west through to 34th Street.

“In 2013, we identified a conceptual alignment or conceptual idea for a ring road through Lacombe, and that uses a combination of existing roads and new roads that have yet to be developed that form what will ultimately be a continuous ring road around Lacombe,” said Jordan Thompson, Director of Operations and Planning for the City of Lacombe.

The Functional Plan will look into the future needs of the project as a whole.

“It's a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process with the research stations with land owners to identify a desirable route through there, come to look at what future land needs are maybe for intersections and the road in the long term in the future as well as identify what the cost of such a road may be in order for the City and the County to develop potential cost sharing mechanisms and plan for this road to be constructed,” explained Thompson.

Thompson says the road will support efficient movement through the City and County but says we likely won’t see the road’s completion for some time. The planning being done now sets the project up for the future.

“We have to remember this ring road probably won't be in place for many, many years, likely a couple of decades…This is an important step in order to five you that future Lacombe the options to

this is an important step in order to give you that future look home the options too continue to develop its transportation network and support the economic growth of the city and the region,” explained Thompson.

City administration will look to secure an engineer in collaboration it with the County of Lacombe.  

“Council would like to thank the Government of Alberta for their ongoing support on this project,” Creasey said. “Partnering with the province and our neighbours from Lacombe County will ensure this project meets the needs of all parties involved.”  

The grant deadline to complete the Functional Plan is in Q1 2024.  

This article was written with files from the City of Lacombe.