Work is set to begin on $5.4 million in improvements to Stewart Lake Road, making this heavily travelled road safer for families and more efficient for the oil and gas industry.

The road is located approximately 50 kilometres west of Dawson Creek on the John Hart Highway and will be strengthened and widened to handle the increased volume of traffic along this route. Approximately 9.8 kilometres of the road will be seal-coated, improvements will be made to the alignment from km 2.5 to km 5.5, and the crossing at Sunset Creek will be upgraded, improving the stream flow and fish passage upstream. The upgrades will also help to limit the amount of dust on the road in the future.

A $5.4-million contract has been awarded to Wiltech Developments of Westbank. Work is scheduled to begin this month and finish in March of next year.

These projects are part of the more than $54 million in highway improvements in the South Peace this year. Over the past 10 years, the B.C. government has invested nearly $570 million to improve and maintain the highway network and community infrastructure in the South Peace.

Quote:

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Blair Lekstrom -

"This is a busy road and the traffic volumes over the past few years have increased significantly. Having a safe and efficient road network is important to both residents and industry users who travel Stewart Lake Road daily, so these improvements were a priority on our South Peace highways program this year."

Learn More:

• Follow the work of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure online: www.tranbc.ca
• Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan: http://www.bcjobsplan.ca/

Contact:

Kate Trotter
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
250 356-8241