Emil Anderson Construction Inc. of Kelowna has won this year's Deputy Minister's Contractor of the Year Award in the grading category for its work on the Monte Creek to Pritchard Four Laning Phase 1 project.

The project involved four-laning 3.2 kilometres of Highway 1 from Monte Creek to just east of Bostock Road (now Miners Bluff Road), enhancing highway safety and capacity and improving travel times for residents, tourists and commercial vehicles along this vital corridor. Emil Anderson worked very closely with the local First Nations to deliver this project on time and on budget.

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 grading category were Kledo Construction Ltd. of Fort Nelson for upgrades on Sierra Yoyo Desan Road (km 30 - 40) and Pedre Contractors Ltd. of Langley for the Evergreen Line BC Hydro Feeder Duct and Structures Construction project.

Quotes:

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Mary Polak -

"This award is well deserved and highlights the excellent work Emil Anderson Construction did on the Monte Creek to Pritchard project. This is a busy road for local users and a major corridor for commercial traffic, so it's important we keep it safe for B.C. families and more efficient for industry."

"Congratulations to all the finalists for their outstanding work this year to improve and maintain B.C.'s roads, highways and bridges."

Westside-Kelowna MLA Ben Stewart -

"I'd like to congratulate Emil Anderson Construction Inc., a British Columbia road-building icon for over 50 years, for receiving a Deputy Minister's Contractor of the Year Award. They did an outstanding job on this important local project and deserve to be recognized."

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