Seismic 2000 Construction Ltd. of Aldergrove has won this year’s Deputy Minister’s Contractor of the Year Award in the bridges and structures category for its work on the Highway 3 Old Kootenay River Channel Bridge.
The project involved rehabilitating the existing 300-metre-long bridge, which was built in 1958.
The company provided excellent traffic management to keep Highway 3 open, and dealt with a number of challenges as a result of summer electrical storms and power failures. It also worked to mitigate any potential environmental disruptions and impacts, as the bridge lies within the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area.
“It’s an excellent feather in our cap,” said Kazakoff. “We had a crew of 35 workers for six months working in the oldest wildlife refuge in B.C. We had herds of elk, swallows, and 80 per cent of the work was underneath in the wetlands. We had to do our due diligence.”
Kazakoff founded the company 15 years ago when he was laid off by another road builder at age 50. “I figured I might as well because who would hire me at 50?” he told The Star. The company has been based at their offices next to Otter Co-op for the past four years.
Kazakoff’s wife Noni is also his business partner but the couple are now grooming their children to take over the business so they can retire to their hobbies, which include the Fort Langley dragon boat racers. Their daughter Dawn and son Nathan and son-in-law Dave will carry on the family tradition at Seismic 2000.
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Mary Polak said, “This award is well-deserved and highlights the excellent work Seismic 2000 Construction did on the Old Kootenay River Channel Bridge – an important part of the Highway 3 corridor connecting B.C. and the rest of Canada.”
Fort Langley-Aldergrove MLA Rich Coleman said, “Thank you to all the finalists for their dedication and hard work on improving our roads here in B.C.”
“Not only have you helped make our roads safer, but you have also made commute time more economic for British Columbians.”
