Alberta announces $15M for Highway 63 repairs after pothole protest

About 80 Fort McMurray residents came out to patch potholes on Highway 63 on June 12, 2026. (Credit: Mohammad Tarrabin)

The province says it will spend an additional $15 million to make repairs to Highway 63, including on the stretch that runs through Fort McMurray.

The announcement comes after dozens of residents gathered in June to patch potholes on the stretch as a form of protest.

“Our government is adding more than $22.4 million to the provincial highway maintenance budget to do more patch paving and pothole repairs – an almost 60 per cent increase from last year’s budget, of which $15 million will be directly allocated to Highway 63 maintenance," Devin Dreeshen, minister of transportation and economic corridors said in a statement on Sunday.

“This extra funding will help pay for more road work along Highway 63, including through Fort McMurray.”

Dreeshen says the province is also expediting a contract to repave 48 kilometres of Highway 63 southbound near Wandering River and another contract to pave 30 kilometers along Highways 63 and 881 in the Fort McMurray area.