VSA Highway Maintenance Ltd. of Merritt has won this year’s Deputy Minister’s Contractor of the Year Award for highway maintenance, for its work in the Nicola Service Area.

Variable speed signs are being installed on sections of the Coquihalla, the Trans-Canada, and the Sea to Sky Highway, as part of a pilot project to help reduce the frequency of weather-related crashes.

Angling closures on the Seymour and Coquihalla rivers and their tributaries have been extended in order to protect vulnerable salmon and steelhead populations.

The Government of B.C. is reopening angling for most streams in the South Coast due to increased rain and cooling water temperatures.

Smoke from a series of small, controlled spot fires may be visible from communities in the Merritt area and the Coquihalla Highway on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

Upgrades are in the works for the emergency department at the Nicola Valley Hospital and Health Centre, benefiting patients and health professionals.

Improvements are coming to Highway 97D between the interchange at the Coquihalla Highway and Logan Lake this year.

Work will begin shortly on the highway realignment project to improve safety between Sunday Creek and Sunday Summit on Highway 3.