A new highway connecting B.C. to central Alberta is being looked at by an economic development coalition.
The idea to build a new highway connecting Red Deer to 30 kilometres west of Golden, B.C., has been raised on and off for decades, however the most recent look at the idea came in 2005, when an economic pre-feasibility study was done that estimated nearly $400 million in economic benefits.
READ MORE: New highway proposed between Alberta and B.C.
Central Alberta Economic Partnership chair John Vandermeer said they would like to undertake an economic development study for the region, which would include a reassessment of the viability of the Howse Pass route, which would shave 95 kilometres off the route from central Alberta to Kamloops, B.C.
The drive from Red Deer to Kamloops by way of Calgary is about 760 kilometres. Howse Pass would turn the Kamloops drive into a shorter journey, linking Highway 11 with the Trans-Canada Highway, about 30 kilometres west of Golden, B.C.
Support from B.C. and Alberta, and the federal government and various regulatory approvals, would be required for anything to go ahead.