Construction of new passing lanes and commercial truck pullout will soon begin on Highway 5 north of Kamloops, improving safety and mobility as part of B.C. on the Move, the Province’s 10-year transportation plan.

“The construction of additional passing lanes along Highway 5 is a key priority of B.C. on the Move,” said Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone. “This is a busy corridor with more than a thousand trucks moving goods through this region every day. Traffic volumes increase as we get closer to the busy summer season. These improvements will ease congestion and alleviate driver frustration by providing a safe place to pass. In addition, the construction of a commercial truck pullout will allow commercial vehicles to safely pull over for inspections and to rest.”

Just over two kilometres of Highway 5 will be widened to include a passing lane, south of McLure. In addition, a Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement (CVSE) pullout will be constructed, providing a safe place for commercial drivers to rest and for CVSE to conduct mobile inspections. As well, the pullout will include toilet facilities. Work is scheduled to begin in June with completion anticipated in October of 2016.

Engineering work has begun at the second location for new passing lanes near Darfield between Barriere and Little Fort. A new, three-kilometre southbound passing lane will be added and the existing northbound passing lane will be extended by 2.7 kilometres.

“Since 2010, the volume of traffic on this stretch has increased by about eight per cent,” said MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson Terry Lake.  “Highway 5 is a key focus for future improvements as part of B.C. on the Move. In the past few years, we've resurfaced sections of the highway, added new guardrails and constructed new passing lanes at Chappel Creek and Camp Creek.”

Over the last 10 years, the ministry has invested over $63 million in Highway 5 safety improvements between Kamloops and Tete Jaune Cache, including installing new guardrails, resurfacing sections of the highway, building new passing lanes and making highway intersections safer.

To learn more about B.C.’s 10-year transportation plan, click here: http://bit.ly/26snSyr