CALGARY, Alta. – There’s been much talk about the state of the West’s roads over the past month, including some promising news about some federal funding for Western highways.

The federal government promised to chip in towards improving the Trans-Canada Hwy. in B.C. while improving a number of roads running to and from the U.S. border in Canada’s westernmost province.

Shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Jean Chretien visited Saskatchewan to announce the twinning of that province’s portion of the Trans-Canada is being fast-tracked.

However, despite the improvements, truckers still have concerns about the state of Western Canadian roads and highways.

We ventured to the Road King Truck Stop in Calgary on a chilly March day to find out what truckers felt about the condition of Western Canadian roads.

Owner/operator Lakhbil Lally hauls reefers out of Cloverdale, B.C. He says the roads could always use some improvements, but overall he doesn’t find them to be worse than anywhere else.

Nic Laudy of Calgary, Alta. is taking a break from the road after years hauling steel and dry vans throughout Western Canada.

“Except for 16th Avenue through Calgary, they’re not that bad,” says the former driver. “From Saskatchewan west to Banff the Trans-Canada is all four lanes and it’s not bad at all to drive on.”

Challenger Motor Freight company driver, Norman Creary, was taking a break before heading to Delta, B.C. He says the roads in Western Canada are a disgrace.

“I think they’re the worst bloody highways,” he says. “I run a lot on the Trans-Canada Highway and it’s a very poor highway. They should be ashamed to call it the Trans-Canada.”

Creary says the roads are downright dangerous in places, and in fact he was preparing to detour a stretch of the TCH that was closed near Revelstoke due to an avalanche.

Winnipeg-based company driver, Hamid Shahinfar hauls general freight for Saveway. He was preparing for a run down to Greensview, Kentucky when he took a moment to ponder the question.

“Usually the highways here are pretty good considering the amount of snow we get,” says Shahinfar. “I don’t have any complaints about the roads in Western Canada.”

Jim McDowell, a driver with Big Freight out of Winnipeg, sums up his opinion of Western Canadian highways in one word: “Lousy.” n