The municipality is looking to get the ball rolling on the East Clearwater Highway.

Mayor Don Scott brought forward a notice of motion at Wood Buffalo council’s meeting on Tuesday which looks to send a letter to the federal and provincial governments outlining the need for the route.

It also plans to make the project the number one transportation priority for Wood Buffalo.

Scott tells Mix News the project has been simply been just talks for far too long.

“It’s been on the books and looked at for a long time, we’ve already started the process of looking at designs and things like that but this is a real opportunity for this region and it comes with a lot of benefits.”

The East Clearwater Highway was first proposed by the Wood Buffalo Recovery Committee back in 2016 and has since received funds for its design phase by the previous council and provincial government.

Scott says we have a new government that needs to be sold on the project.

“I know the MLA’s and others have discussed this previously, but I want them to take a good hard look at it because there is an economic argument, there’s a safety argument.”

Council will hold a public hearing about the East Clearwater Highway at their next meeting on July 8.