Four-laning and other safety improvements are in the works for a stretch of Highway 1 west of Salmon Arm.
On Thursday, July 22, B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced funding was approved to four lane the 4.3 kilometres of highway between the Tappen Valley Road and Ford Road intersections.
According to the province, the work will include replacing the aging Tappen overhead, and constructing frontage roads. As part of the project, a new eastbound commercial carrier pullout will be built to benefit commercial drivers who travel along this route.
The province also mentions including wider shoulders and a frontage road system to support cyclists, pedestrians and people using other modes of transportation.
Part of the province’s Highway 1 Four-Laning Program, the proposed work is intended to increase safety, reliability and efficiency for people travelling on the Trans-Canada Highway, including commercial truck drivers.
The ministry says the project, which runs through Little Shuswap Lake Band IR#5, will improve the safety of access on and off the Trans-Canada Highway, and will improve connections within the Little Shuswap Lake community.
“Our community has been working with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for over five years to improve safety and infrastructure for our membership,” said Little Shuswap Lake Band Kukpi7 (Chief) Oliver Arnouse. “We are pleased to see the project moving forward.”
Read more: Safety concerns mount at Tappen turn-offs
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The province is contributing $161 million, while the federal government has committed $82.1 million.
The ministry says upgrading the highway to a modern, 100 kilometre-an-hour, four-lane standard will allow traffic to move more safely and efficiently.
The project is expected to go to tender in early 2022, and is being delivered through the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), which the ministry says prioritizes hiring and rehiring of local workers, Indigenous peoples, women, people with disabilities and members of other under-represented groups who are qualified to do the work.
British Columbia Infrastructure Benefits is responsible for implementing the CBA for the project and will be the employer for the skilled trades workforce on the project.
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