Deadly crash re-ignites call for Alberta government to speed up twinning of highway 63

Friday's deadly crash on Highway 63, which claimed seven lives, has Albertans calling on the the provincial government to take action - and to do it fast.

Many are turning online to voice their concerns over the safety of the highway. A online petition, demanding the government speed up twinning of what's known as a dangerous stretch of road, has already garnered thousands of signatures.

Julie Swift, who recently signed the call for action, wrote: "The tragedy on Friday, April 27, 2012 snuffed the life of friends of mine leaving their very young child without a mother, father, and brother. I know to a government this may be minor. But what if it was your child who was left without a mother, father, and siblings? Would that be cost be enough to change your mind? Think on this for a while and then do what you have to do to fix this road! Please! Before more tragedies occur. If you do nothing to speed up the completion of this project, you are allowing tragedies to continue ..."

A Facebook page with the same goal has also been started.

And one Fort McMurray resident has gone a step further, posting an open letter to the premier. She writes "...I am not willing to see my children die beside highway 63 because it has not been twinned...This is my call to action, Premier Redford. I am saying 'enough.'...So, Premier Redford, I am watching. I am waiting. And with me stands an entire region, watching and waiting to see what your government will do to end the carnage on Highway 63. We don't want promises, we want plans. We don't want ideas, we want action. And we don't want to wait. Because every single passing day endangers more lives, and the cost to our community grows..."

In 2006, after years of public pressure, the Alberta government announced that it would twin a 240-kilometre stretch of the road. As of October 2009, only 16 kilometres had been twinned. Another 36 kilometers is scheduled to be finished by the fall of 2013, but there is no long-term goal to finish the billion-dollar project.

Wildrose MLA Shayne Saskiw says work to twin the highway has been moving at a snails pace and it needs to change.

"From 2006 to 2011 there's been $38 billion dollars of infrastructure projects. How is it possible that highway 63 can't be on the priority list," he says.

Donna Babchishin with Alberta Transportation says there is a lot of work being done behind the scenes.

"For example," she says, "most of that highway has been cleared for eventual twinning. There will continue to be design studies undertaken, land purchases made, and all that work for twinning to happen."

Premier Alison Redford, who has not been available for comment on the deadly crash and resulting fallout, has promised during the recent election and last year's PC leadership race to proceed with the project.

But like the mayor of the Wood Buffalo regional municipality, the reeve of Athabasca County, Dave Yurdiga also believes the twinning should become more of a priority for the province.

"We can't wait 6 years, 7 years, we need it done now."