Fort McMurray residents spent months asking the province to fix Highway 63. When nothing moved fast enough, they grabbed shovels and did it themselves.
On June 12, dozens of frustrated volunteers set up pylons, directed traffic, and filled potholes along a stretch of Highway 63 running through downtown Fort McMurray. The operation was organized by Mohammed Tarrabin, a 20-year Fort McMurray resident who says he spent more than $5,500 repairing vehicle damage caused by Highway 63 potholes. "I have been here for 20 years and I've never seen it ever like this," he said. "It's actually a shame that our city has to go through this."
The province responded on July 5. Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen announced $22.4 million in additional highway maintenance funding — a nearly 60 percent increase from last year's budget — with $15 million directed specifically to Highway 63.
What the money will pay for
The $15 million allocated to Highway 63 will fund patch paving and pothole repairs along the route including through Fort McMurray. Two repaving contracts are also being expedited.
A contract to repave 48 kilometres of Highway 63 southbound near Wandering River. A separate contract to pave 30 kilometres along both Highway 63 and Highway 881 in the Fort McMurray area.
The highway maintenance contractor has also committed to providing a daily schedule of upcoming work and a list of completed projects — a transparency measure that came directly from MLA advocacy according to Dreeshen's statement.
How bad it actually got
RMWB Mayor Sandy Bowman told CBC News that potholes had damaged his own vehicle and vehicles driven by municipal councillors. Conservative MP Laila Goodridge called the highway's condition the worst she had ever seen, citing excessively large potholes, lack of functional lighting, inadequate plowing, and flooding as compounding problems.
The Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association estimated at least 36 segments of Highway 63 are in serious need of repair or replacement 11 of those in the 18-kilometre stretch running through Fort McMurray alone.
Ron Glen, CEO of the ARHCA, put the broader picture plainly: at least 15 percent of Alberta's highways are in poor condition and need immediate repairs, most of them north of Red Deer. "Roads do not get cheaper to fix when maintenance is deferred," he wrote in a letter to Mayor Bowman.
Why this highway matters
Highway 63 is the main route connecting Fort McMurray to the rest of Alberta. It carries oilsands workers, industrial equipment, medical patients, and everyday commuters through one of the most economically significant corridors in the country. The Fort McMurray region generates more than $15 billion in annual royalties for the provincial government. Bowman made that point directly: "The $15 billion-plus of royalties that the province gets comes from the Fort McMurray region."
Because Highway 63 is the region's primary transportation corridor, its condition affects commuters, industrial traffic, and access to Alberta's oilsands sector. The road's condition has drawn widespread criticism from residents, local officials, and industry representatives for well over a year.
What happened when residents filled the potholes themselves
The June 12 volunteer operation drew RCMP to the scene. Police had warned ahead of the event that being on an active highway created significant safety and legal risks. But once the work began, RCMP officers stayed in a public safety role cruisers with flashing lights helped alert drivers rather than shutting the operation down.
By the end of the day, volunteers had repaired potholes along the stretch from Hardin Street to the top of Beacon Hill. Four Treaty 8 Nations endorsed the initiative and three chiefs attended. A volunteer built a custom app during the operation that let residents report potholes using GPS coordinates from their phones.
Three weeks after the volunteer effort, the province announced $15 million specifically for Highway 63.
What still needs to happen
The $15 million and the two repaving contracts are a start. They are not a solution.
The ARHCA identified 36 segments of Highway 63 in serious need of repair or replacement — 11 of them in the 18-kilometre stretch through Fort McMurray. Patch paving addresses individual potholes. It does not replace degraded road base that has broken down over years of heavy industrial traffic and freeze-thaw cycles.
Mayor Bowman has been pushing for the municipality to take over maintenance responsibility for that 18-kilometre stretch — handling pothole repairs, line painting, and road cleaning directly rather than waiting on the provincial contractor. Talks with the province on that arrangement are ongoing. The RMWB has been clear it is willing to manage the work but is not willing to pay for it.
Emcon Services holds the current provincial maintenance contract for Highway 63. Residents can report road hazards directly to Emcon at 1-800-390-2242, 24 hours a day.
Sources:
Government of Alberta, Minister Devin Dreeshen statement on Highway 63 funding, July 5, 2026 (alberta.ca)
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Mayor Sandy Bowman statements, June 2026
Conservative MP Laila Goodridge, Facebook letter, June 2026
Ron Glen, CEO, Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association, letter to Mayor Bowman and CBC News interview, June 2026
Mohammed Tarrabin, CBC News interview, June 13, 2026
