Highway 2 interchange at Red Deer open to traffic after two years

After two years and two months of construction, the new Highway 2/Gaetz Avenue interchange in Red Deer is fully open to traffic.

"This section of the QEll has always been a pinch-point for motorists," Brian Mason, minister of transportation, said in a news release Monday.

"This new interchange improves the flow of traffic and increases safety on a heavily travelled stretch of highway."

Construction of the $80-million interchange began in 2016.

The project includes five new bridges, new on and off ramps for northbound and southbound traffic, the widening and realignment of Highway 2, and the integration of the Taylor Drive and Gaetz Avenue interchanges.

"This was a massive project, and in only two years we have completely changed the way that motorists access Gasoline Alley and the City of Red Deer," Jim Wood, mayor of Red Deer County, said in the release.

Finishing work such as final paving, signage, guardrail installation and landscaping will be completed in 2019.