Seismic 2000 Construction Ltd. of Aldergrove has won this year's Deputy Minister's Contractor of the Year Award in the bridges and structures category for its work on the Highway 3 Old Kootenay River Channel Bridge.

The project involved rehabilitating the existing 300-metre-long bridge, which was built in 1958. The company provided excellent traffic management to keep Highway 3 open, and dealt with a number of challenges as a result of summer electrical storms and power failures. It also worked to mitigate any potential environmental disruptions and impacts, as the bridge lies within the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area.

The Deputy Minister's Contractor of the Year Awards recognize construction and maintenance companies demonstrating excellence in the categories of grading, paving, bridges and structures, and highway maintenance work throughout the province. This year a new category for excellence in safety innovation was also awarded. The 10th annual awards were hosted by the B.C. Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association on Dec. 7 in Victoria.

The award runners-up in the bridges and structures category were West Bridge Corporation

of North Vancouver for Highway 99 Long Cayoosh Bridge, and Westpro Infrastructure Ltd. of Surrey for the South Fraser Perimeter Road Highway 17 Deltaport Interchange project.

Quotes:

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Mary Polak -

"This award is well-deserved and highlights the excellent work Seismic 2000 Construction did on the Old Kootenay River Channel Bridge - an important part of the Highway 3 corridor connecting B.C. and the rest of Canada."

"Road safety and efficiency is one of this government's top priorities and I would like to congratulate all the finalists for their outstanding work to improve and maintain B.C.'s roads, highways and bridges."

Fort Langley-Aldergrove MLA Rich Coleman -

"Thank you to all the finalists for their dedication and hard work on improving our roads here in B.C. Not only have you helped make our roads safer, but you have also made commute time more economic for British Columbians."

Photographs of the Deputy Minister's Contractor of the Year Award winners and finalists can be viewed at: http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/celebratingexcellence/contractors.htm

Contact:

Cindy Cousins
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
250 356-1572