Provincial road maintenance gets a boost, thanks to innovation and a $36-million budget increase, to ensure motorists around the province will continue to see a high standard of maintenance service on B.C. highways and roads, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone announced today.

“Our maintenance contractor’s use of new and innovative technologies ensures we get the most for our maintenance dollars,” said Stone. “Whether it be the use of beet juice-based anti-icing liquids to keep road surfaces clear in winter or real-time traffic monitoring, we are committed to ensuring our provincial roads throughout the province are maintained to the highest safety standards all year.”

The $36-million budget increase, spread over three years, will cover inflation and the rising costs of services. This increase also will enable maintenance contractors to continue to purchase new equipment and adopt the latest technology.

The Province’s contractors use state-of-the-art techniques and equipment to keep B.C. roads clear.

• Larger tridem drive plow trucks allow contractors to haul more abrasive and cover greater distances, spending more time keeping roads safe and less time returning to the yard for more aggregate.
• Beet juice is a liquid product used to keep roads clear from ice buildup. Before a storm occurs, the product is sprayed on the highway to prevent the snow from bonding to the surface. This product helps reduce the amount of salt used, which is better for the environment and roadside vegetation.
• A new piece of machinery called the zero velocity spreader is coming into operation. This device sprays the salt or sand backwards at the same pace as the truck’s speed, which prevents the material from bouncing off the road.
• An innovative sweeping machine is currently in use on the Coquihalla to more efficiently pick up winter abrasive from the median barrier following winter. This speeds up the process considerably, and reduces lane closure time for the public.

As part of B.C. on the Move, the Province’s 10-year transportation plan, the ministry heard through a consultation process that keeping highways, bridges and side roads in good condition is a top priority. Over the next three years, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure plans to invest $2.7 billion to improve British Columbia’s transportation network.

Quick Facts:

• The ministry’s maintenance contractors take care of nearly 47,000 kilometres of road and 2,800 bridges in some of the most challenging terrain in Canada.
• Crews apply 750,000 tonnes of winter abrasives over 1.2 million kilometres and 100,000 tonnes of salt.
• Since 2001, the annual expenditure on road and bridge maintenance has been increased by $79 million ─ a 25% increase over the last 15 years.
• More than 2,000 contracted employees and hundreds of pieces of equipment operate around the clock to keep highways open, safe and reliable.