$6.9 million in safety and access projects in the District of Chetwynd area have begun, with the replacement of the Wildmare Bridge and repairs to frost-damaged portions of Highway 97, announced Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone.

“Highway 97 is a vital corridor in B.C.’s northern region and soon, the Wildmare Bridge and portions of the highway will be better able to accommodate the growing commercial traffic in the region,” said Stone. “It is important to me and this government to support economic growth by making this route safer and more accessible. We listened to the needs of the local Chetwynd community, and I’m pleased to see that soon these improvements will help enable economic growth in the region and the province over the long term.”

Replacing bridges so they can accommodate increasingly heavy and large loads needed by industry is an important part of the provincial trucking strategy. This along with the rehabilitation of provincial highways is a major theme of government’s 10-year transportation plan, B.C. on the Move.

Currently underway, the Wildmare Bridge replacement project will include a new wider and higher bridge that will accommodate heavy equipment and large infrastructure as it moves along the highway to industrial areas in the region. CEWE Infrastructure Ltd. of North Vancouver has been awarded the contract to complete the work, and the project is expected to be completed in November 2015.

Sections of Highway 97 through Chetwynd have been damaged by frost heaving. Repairing these portions of the highway involves the reconstruction of 300 metres of road, which includes installing a 100-millimetre-thick insulation layer to prevent frost damage in the future, making the road safer and smoother. DBA DGS Astro Paving Ltd. of Fort St. John has been awarded the contract, and the project is expected to be complete by the end of September 2015.

“Both of these projects are welcome improvements to Highway 97 for the community of Chetwynd and the whole Peace Region," said Mike Bernier, MLA for Peace River South and Minister of Education. “Commercial vehicles, tourists and residents will soon be able to travel more safely on our roads and this will help support the growing opportunities in the South Peace.”

“Chetwynd's strategic location as a transportation link to the south of the province is being greatly enhanced by these upgrades to Highway 97,” said Chetwynd Mayor Merlin Nichols. “We appreciate that the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has recognized the importance of this link to the provincial economy and is making these much-needed improvements. The new highway improvements will benefit all of the businesses and citizens of the Peace, and we wish to thank the minister for his vision and commitment to the Province’s 10-Year Transportation Plan.”

The Province will invest $380 million over the next three years to resurface provincial highways, with 1,000 kilometres of provincial highway resurfaced annually. $180 million is also earmarked over the next three years to repair and replace provincial bridges.

B.C. on the Move is government’s 10-year plan for the improvement of the province’s transportation network. The actions prioritized in B.C. on the Move will enhance safety, grow the economy, maintain and replace aging infrastructure, and support trade for B.C.’s expanding resource sectors through Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway. Over the next three years, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will invest up to $2.5 billion to improve B.C.’s transportation network.

Learn More:

Find out more about B.C. on the Move, the Province’s 10-year transportation plan, at: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/transportationplan/