Two improvement projects on Highway 2 and Highway 97 in the Peace River area will improve safety for families, visitors and commercial traffic.

A $2.4-million contract has been awarded to Knelsen Rock Products Ltd. for a new two-kilometre northbound passing lane on Highway 97 at Mile 10, approximately 15 kilometres north of Dawson Creek. Improvements will be made to the intersection at Farmington Fairways, including left turn bays and enhanced lighting. These upgrades will improve safety and reduce delays along this busy corridor, which has seen an increase in oil and gas and tourism traffic over the past few years. Work is scheduled to begin this month and finish by late October.

A $3.2-million contract has been awarded to Peter's Bros. Construction Ltd. for a 2.8-kilometre southbound climbing lane on Highway 2 south of Pouce Coupe. This project will improve the safety and efficiency of the highway by providing a safe-passing opportunity for southbound traffic. In addition, improvements will be made to the intersections at Arndt, Wade and Blockline roads to increase safety for local road users. Work began in June and is expected to finish in November.

These projects are part of a long-term plan to widen the corridors to four lanes on Highway 2 between the Alberta border and Dawson Creek, and Highway 97N between Dawson Creek and Fort St. John - improvements that the communities in the region had asked for.

The Highway 2 and 97N corridors run 115 kilometres from the Alberta border through to Dawson Creek and from Dawson Creek to Fort St. John. Improvements on these corridors will increase safety for residents in the region and ensure efficiency for the movement of equipment and resources in and out of the Peace, helping to drive B.C.'s economy and provide jobs for families in the Northeast.

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 government of B.C. 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 -

"These upgrades to Highway 97 and Highway 2 will not only improve safety for families and tourists travelling in the region, they will also help increase efficiency for commercial traffic and support expanding economic activity in the Peace. We continue to upgrade our highway infrastructure and I am pleased to see these projects getting underway."

Learn More:

Follow the work of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure online at: 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