Summer is here, and despite the smoke and wildfires, road resurfacing season is underway in the Southern Interior. Crews will be at work on numerous paving projects in the region, covering more than 500 kilometres of highways and side roads this year.
Among the projects slated for completion is paving 31 kilometres of Highway 1 (from Cache Creek to Walhachin Road and around Ashcroft), as well as 14 kilometres of side roads in the area. It will be conventional paving work that is expected to be complete in October.
Other major resurfacing projects taking place in the Southern Interior this spring and summer include:
* Highway 97: Enterprise Road to 150 Mile House (16 kilometres) and area side roads (two kilometres). The project is expected to be complete in July.
* Highway 97: Williams Lake to McLeese Lake (28 kilometres) and area side roads (11 kilometres). The project is expected to be complete in October.
* Likely-Horsefly Road and Horsefly Road (32 kilometres). Work is expected to be complete in July.
* Highway 1: Little River to Salmon Arm (24 kilometres), Sunnybrae Road, Little Shuswap Road, and multiple area side roads (40 kilometres). Work is expected to be complete in October.
* Highway 5A: Princeton to Aspen Grove (63 kilometres) and Bates Road (six kilometres). Work is expected to be complete in October.
All the projects will involve conventional paving except for the work around Likely, which will be hot-in-place resurfacing. This is a made-in-B.C. process involving repurposing the existing asphalt by heating, softening, and blending it with a small amount of new asphalt before reapplying it to the surface. The process extends the operating life of the road, is faster, saves resources, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.
More than $70 million is being invested in highway resurfacing and more than $20 million is being spent on side-road improvements in the Southern Interior this year.
As these resurfacing projects are taking place, drivers can expect minor delays and, at times, single-lane alternating traffic. Drivers are reminded to obey construction zone speed limits and the direction of traffic control personnel. Updates on delays and closures are available at www.DriveBC.ca.
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