Grant money committed to easing congestion at TCH turn into meatpacking plant

By Collin Gallant on April 2, 2025.

The County of Newell will improve Gun Club Road with $1.8 million in grant funding from the province to alleviate Trans-Canada Highway congestion leading to the JBS meatpacking plant near Brooks.

The turn at Range Road 150 from the TCH has been discussed as a bottleneck by county and JBS officials for more than a year.

On Tuesday, the province announced money from its Strategic Infrastructure fund will be used to improve the service road connection from the plant to Highway 873, which forms an overpass over the TCH at the main entrance to the City of Brooks.

The distance is only eight kilometres, said Premier and Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA Danielle Smith, on hand for the announcement, but with 3,200 workers at the plant, delays at shift change can be up to 45 minutes.

“The plant is growing just like the rest of Alberta,” said Smith, noting the addition of a $90-million patty processing facility at the plant in 2023. “We’re thrilled that they are betting big here.”

Smith was joined by Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen, Newell County Reeve Arno Doerksen and Brooks Deputy Mayor Jeff Goodnough.

Money from the province’s Strategic Transportation grant program for rural municipalities, as well as another $600,000 from a general road improvement fund, will be used by Newell County to improve the side road and add a secondary entrance to the JBS parking lot.

That will help take traffic off the Trans-Canada and speed up commutes for workers, say plant officials.

“It’s not just time saving, it will be life saving,” said JBS Canada president Celio Fritche.

About 8,500 vehicles each day travel past the plant on the TCH, including transport trucks that turn into and out of the facility.

“Congestion is a significant issue in the area,” said Dreschen. “It’s clear we need a better option … to shift traffic away from Highway 1.”