The Potato Growers of Alberta are joining a list of associations voicing support for the twinning of Highway 3.
The potato industry pumps $1 billion into the Alberta economy every year, with five major processing plants.
Four of those are along the Highway 3 corridor.
Coaldale Town Councillor Bill Chapman is the president of the Highway 3 Twinning Development Association. He says the heavily-used highway from Medicine Hat to the B.C. border is a critical pipeline for moving commodities like potatoes.
Chapman says starting construction now will provide a more than three to one return on investment and stimulate critically-needed jobs. It’s estimated this project would create 1,000 jobs.
The Twinning Development Association says the UCP government needs to consider Highway 3 as part of the recently announced $2 billion COVID-19 stimulus package for infrastructure across Alberta.