More than $85 million is being spent on highway and side road improvements in the Southern Interior of British Columbia in 2020. One of these major resurfacing projects is just now being completed on Highway 5 (Yellowhead) south of Barriere.
This project is being done by a form of resurfacing called Mill and Fill, and is repairing approximately 16 kilometres of Highway 5 from McLure Ferry Road to the Louis Creek Bridge.
Mill and Fill is used when the pavement surface has deteriorated to the point where it can no longer be maintained due to surface cracks, stresses and structural defects that have made their way below the surface of the roadway. In most instances the underlying asphalt is still strong enough to bear vehicle loads.
Mill and Fill involves grinding off the damaged asphalt on the surface (milling), and then laying down and compacting the fresh asphalt to cool (Fill).
Mill and Fill resurfacing projects can last approximately 15 to 18 years.
