Cochrane's Mayor Ivan Brooker is anxiously awaiting the delivery of the Provincial Budget on March 16.

Brooker has had countless meetings with the Province to press the urgency of an upgrade to the intersection of Highway 1A and 22, and is hopeful the project will make the funded list.

"I want to hear that it is funded, last year it was on their sunshine list. It was an approved shovel ready project, they were already going to tender on the final design drawings, so the only last remaining step is the actual funding and the naming of the priority as a budgetary item."

If the intersection doesn't make the cut, Brooker says he'll be horribly disappointed, "I will be making a lot of phone calls."

While Brooker remains optimistic, he wasn't pleased to learn that the Government withdrew funding that was supposed to flow down to communities from the Building Canada Grant because the Government wanted to concentrate on more provincial projects.

"I guess on one hand I can understand but in the same token if our project is not one of the projects that is funded out of that the 300 million then I will be horribly disappointed." 

Banff-Cochrane MLA Cameron Westhead says he's unsure what decision will be made, but wants Cochranites to know that the intersection is of top priority.

"I'm not sure yet if it is a funded item, as the Minister hasn't tabled the budget or made an announcement yet. When I asked him in Question Period last week he said he was not able to make a commitment at that time, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

 

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