Roads Drive our Economy
Roads are the arteries through which the economy pulses. By linking workers to jobs, students to school, and consumers to services, quality roads are vital to any economy. Historically, investment in transportation networks has played a great role in the development of cities, regions, and nations. However, declining investment in road maintenance and construction puts our economy at risk. Taxpayers have invested in Alberta’s roads to deliver economic returns and the government has a fiduciary responsibility to maintain these assets.
The Alberta Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association (ARHCA) is committed to providing principled and compelling solutions to ensure Alberta’s road infrastructure supports a vibrant economic climate and enhances the quality of life of Albertans.
Building and maintaining roads for productivity and growth
Building and maintaining effective road networks is critical for the functioning of Alberta’s economy. Transportation infrastructure, such as roads enable economic activity connecting people, businesses and resources. The economy needs reliable road infrastructure to connect supply chains and efficiently move goods and services to domestic and international markets. Roads and highways connect households to higher quality opportunities for employment, access to healthcare and education.
Road infrastructure can affect the economy in a number of ways, nearly all of them related to increasing mobility. It can enable producers to reach markets more cheaply, to increase the size of their market area, and can increase the speed with which producers can reach markets or inputs, allowing them to hold lower inventories and carry out just-in-time production.
Road infrastructure can enable workers to choose among a wider array of employment opportunities and to live farther from their workplaces. It can enable consumers to have a more varied choice of goods, services, and prices. Efficient road networks move people and good in such as way to increasing overall productivity that filters through the economy. Improving productivity reduces the cost of doing business enabling greater output. These productivity gains filter through the economy into increased business profits, reduced prices to consumers, improved access and service quality.
Transportation system efficiencies improve productivity through increased education and employment, improving the match between workers and jobs creating increased income and wealth.
