Construction season appears to be in full swing.
Work started today on a $19.4 million project to increase the capacity of the Trans-Canada Highway to four lanes between Donald and Forde Station, 20km west of Golden.
Construction is underway to expand #BCHwy1 to four lanes between Donald and Forde Station Road, and includes improving access to the commercial vehicle safety enforcement inspection station https://t.co/HSG977Pa4b #GoldenBC pic.twitter.com/pzBl7IjLIf
— BC Transportation (@TranBC) April 25, 2018
The project, announced in October 2017, will expand a 2.5 km stretch of Hwy. 1.
In a media release, Claire Trevena, the B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, called it the first of many twinning projects between Kamloops and the Alberta border.
“This is the first of many four-laning projects between Kamloops and the Alberta border in the next three years,” said Trevena.
The province has committed $464 million over the next three years to projects which will “accelerate Hwy. 1 upgrades.”
The cost of the project will be shared with the federal government who have committed some $7.27 million to the four lane expansion of the Trans-Canada Highway near Golden.
Amarjheet Sohi, the federal minister of Infrastructure and Communities, said it will improve the flow of goods between B.C. and Alberta.
“I am very pleased to see that construction has begun to upgrade this busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway, which is vital to the movement of goods between Alberta and British Columbia,” said Sohi.
The announcement from the ministry comes a week after a boulder landed in the middle of the Trans-Canada Highway at Three Valley Gap, about 20 km west of Revelstoke, renewing calls to twin the highway there.
RELATED: Large boulder closes Trans-Canada Highway at Three Valley Gap
The day before that incident, the Mayor of Revelstoke Mark McKee and Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Doug Clovechok met with Trevena to discuss Hwy. 1.
RELATED: Government has no solution for dangerous Three Valley Gap stretch
Following the meeting Clovechok said the NDP government presented no solution to the ongoing problems at Three Valley Gap.
“We’ve got no long term solution to this,” said Clovechok. “Hopefully something is done before someone dies.”
Clovechok said that the focus of the meeting was on the eastern part of the highway near Golden.
McKee said the only solution to the ongoing problems motorists encounter at Three Valley gap is to twin the Highway at Three Valley Gap.
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He said Trevena confirmed that Hwy. 1 was a priority for the ministry, and that more announcements will follow this one over the course of the next year.
@Jnshermanjake.sherman@revelstokereview.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
