Work on the second phase of Highway 1 improvements through Chase is expected to get underway this spring.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced on Thursday, April 1, that the tender had been issued for the Chase Creek West to Chase Creek Bridge section of the project. It involves widening 1.6 kilometres of the highway from two to four lanes, adding a grade-separated interchange at Brooke Drive, along with extending improvements on Brooke Drive to Shuswap Avenue.
The ministry said construction on this segment will begin later this spring and is anticipated to be complete in fall 2023. The work is part of the province’s Chase four-laning project which, in total, will four lane 4.9 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway from approximately the Harper Lake Road intersection to the west, to the Chase Creek Bridge just west of the Shuswap Avenue intersection. Significant changes involved in the project include the Brooke Drive Interchange, the elimination of highway access at Coburn Street (will be open to emergency vehicles only), and the construction of a new intersection to the west of the community that will replace the existing intersection near the A&W and Petro-Canada gas station.
Read more: Second phase of Highway 1 four-laning in Chase expected to be tendered soon
Read more: Salmon Arm won’t lose a bridge during four-laning project
Work is already well underway on the Chase Creek Road to Chase West section, said the ministry, which will also reduce traffic congestion and improve safety in the region. It includes upgrades to highway intersections and frontage roads, along with construction of a pedestrian underpass and multi-use pathway.
The total budget for the Chase four-laning project is $260.3 million. This includes up to $12.1 million from the Government of Canada under the Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component of the New Building Canada Fund.
The ministry said during construction, every effort would be made to minimize disruption to local traffic. Updates will be provided via: www.DriveBC.ca.
More information on the Chase four-laning project can be found on the ministry’s website.
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General
The Brooke Drive interchange will go underneath Highway 1 into a traffic circle leading into Chase. (Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure image)
