The Chamber of Commerce was able to attend the Public Information session on April 27 at the Medicine Hat College to review the Government of Alberta’s 2026 update on Highway 3 twinning. The Government has confirmed its multi-year capital commitment and continued design engagement, reflecting meaningful progress, and showing that regional voices are being heard. 

For years, the Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce has consistently advocated for the full twinning of Highway 3, recognizing it as one of southern Alberta’s most critical economic corridors.

A long-standing advocacy priority reinforced

In Budget 2026, the Province committed $152 million over three years to advance the twinning of Highway 3 from east of Highway 885 (Whitla) to Medicine Hat. This section represents one of the last remaining two-lane segments on Highway 3 and has long been identified by the Chamber and the Highway 3 Twinning Association as a safety, trade, and competitiveness priority for Southeast Alberta businesses.

The Province has clearly positioned this investment around improved safety, more reliable freight movement, and stronger economic connectivity. This aligns directly with the Chamber’s advocacy message that Highway 3 is not simply a transportation project, but a backbone corridor supporting agriculture, energy, manufacturing, tourism, and cross-border trade.

Recap of 2024

During public engagement in fall 2024, landowners, businesses, agricultural producers, and regional stakeholders raised important concerns about how twinning could impact local operations. Key themes included:

• Loss of direct farm and business access
• Removal of existing at-grade intersections
• Service road placement and land fragmentation
• The need for agricultural median crossings
• The importance of continued engagement before final designs are locked in
• Access to commercial businesses, such as those in Seven Persons

The Chamber echoed many of these concerns, emphasizing that while safety improvements are essential, design decisions must also protect economic functionality, business access, and agricultural productivity.

How the 2026 update responds

The Province’s 2026 materials and engagement summaries indicate that feedback from 2024 has been formally carried forward into the preliminary design phase. Alberta Transportation has confirmed that:

• Input from fall 2024 engagement sessions and surveys is informing design refinement
• Additional engagement is planned as designs are further developed
• Engineering studies related to access management, safety, and benefit-cost analysis are ongoing
• Right-of-way acquisition and utility coordination are recognized as critical next steps before construction timelines are finalized

While final design decisions have not yet been made, the acknowledgement of unresolved access and land-use concerns is an important shift. It demonstrates that issues raised by local stakeholders were not dismissed, but are now part of the active project conversation.

Why this matters to business

For Southeast Alberta businesses, Highway 3 is a daily reality - moving goods, employees, customers, and services across the region and beyond. Twinning offers clear benefits, including:

• Reduced collision risk and improved travel reliability
• More efficient freight movement and supply chain resilience
• Greater certainty for investment and expansion decisions
• Stronger regional competitiveness within Alberta and western Canada

At the same time, how the highway is designed matters just as much as whether it is built. Poor access management or unnecessary disruption to agricultural and business operations could undermine the very economic benefits the project is intended to deliver.

The Chamber's role moving forward

The 2026 update confirms that advocacy is making an impact. Highway 3 twinning is funded, active, and firmly on the provincial agenda. The focus now shifts from “if” to “how.” The Chamber will continue to:

• Advocate for designs that balance safety with business and agricultural access
• Engage with Alberta Transportation and elected officials on behalf of members
• Encourage transparent, ongoing consultation with affected stakeholders
• Keep members informed as designs and timelines become clearer

Highway 3 is a shared regional asset. Continued collaboration between government, industry, landowners, and communities will be essential to ensure this investment delivers long-term value for Southeast Alberta’s economy. The detailed design plans would be expected by Q4 2026, so now it's your turn. Review the display boards from the April 2026 public engagement and the preliminary engineering plan and provide your input in the survey before May 12, 2026: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/HWY3Twinning2026.

For our Chamber members, we encourage you to reach out to us and let us know your feedback and how we can best advocate for you! You can also submit your feedback through our advocacy submission form.