Lacombe County is adding a ninth road grader crew to better care for its gravel road network, with work set to start in early July. The move means each grader will cover a shorter distance, making the job more manageable and speeding up response times when conditions change. The new crew joins eight existing teams that look after more than 1,600 kilometres of gravel roads across the county.
The Lacombe County council approved the change in March 2026 after a review of how the work is divided up. Right now, the distance each grader patrols varies a lot, from about 142 kilometres to nearly 288 kilometres, because traffic has shifted. More vehicles are using roads near lakes, industrial sites, and oil and gas areas. The ninth crew shrinks the average route from 210 kilometres down to 187 kilometres, a drop of about 23 kilometres per grader.
Reeve John Ireland said council wants roads that work for everyone. “This investment reflects Council’s commitment to maintaining safe, reliable road infrastructure for County residents, businesses, and agricultural producers,” he said. Bill Cade, director of operations, added that the extra crew gives operators breathing room to stay on top of repairs and react quicker to weather or wear and tear.
Getting the new grader rolling wasn’t cheap. A report put the cost of buying and setting up the machine at roughly $700,000, plus about $270,000 a year to run it. The money wasn’t in the original 2026 budget, but councillor Dana Kreil pushed to get it done now instead of waiting. The county’s 2026 capital plan already sets aside $16.8 million for road work, out of a total $29 million capital budget.
The timing lines up with what residents are seeing right now. Heavy rain has left gravel roads soft and muddy across the county, making driving a challenge. Crews will head out as soon as the ground firms up enough for the big machines to work safely. Gravel roads are normally graded about once every 2.5 weeks when the weather cooperates, with busier routes getting more attention.
