EDMONTON, Alta. — The Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) will be moving into a new office to be located at the Edmonton International Airport in 2018, which will be equipped with a five-acre test track.

“We’ve outgrown our current satellite office in Edmonton, so are looking forward to a more spacious building to provide more training and classroom options,” said AMTA president Lorraine Card.

Card said the new office building will be about 20,000 square feet, and that the new test track will be a safe, controlled environment for a number of driver training exercises.

“With the added space, we can offer more classes, which will supplement our current offerings which include online and a driving simulator,” she said.

In addition to the Edmonton airport providing the AMTA with an easily-accessible location for all trainees, there was another reason for choosing that particular space.

“We were drawn to the Edmonton International Airport’s aerotropolis concept and will be the third component of the Alberta Aerospace and Technology Centre (located) there,” Card said. “Together with hotels and restaurants, the area offers full amenities for anyone traveling to Edmonton for training.”

Aerotropolis is a land use strategy that focuses on economic development around an airport, while leveraging the strength of existing businesses on airport and surrounding lands to encourage further economic growth.

The AMTA was aiming to have a contractor finalized for the project by the end of February, with the hopes of the new facility fully up and running for the Provincial Truck Driving Championships in 2018.

The association will look to sell its current office space once the new location is complete.

“The training facility, with the addition of a test track, puts the AMTA in a position to offer world class training,” Card said. “It allows our members to utilize all our training resources, and we think this will be a value-added benefit for AMTA members, so we are excited for this next step.”