Construction will begin soon on the North Fork bridge project to replace the aging structure and improve safety and access along the Trans-Canada Highway between Revelstoke and Sicamous.

“The Trans-Canada Highway is very busy with commercial traffic, recreational visitors, and local commuters, and I’m looking forward to seeing work get underway on this project that will improve capacity and make this section of the Trans-Canada Highway safer, more reliable, and more efficient for all travellers,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone.

The North Fork Bridge is the last remaining bridge with a metal through truss over the Trans-Canada Highway. This 58-year old bridge crosses over the Perry River and is located 40 kilometres west of Revelstoke, has 2 narrow lanes, low clearance, no shoulders and is nearing the end of its service life.

Tybo Contracting Ltd. of Langley has been awarded a $15.7 million contract to build a new 4-lane bridge, expand a 3.8 kilometre section of highway to 4 lanes, resurface a further 2.2 kilometres of highway, and construct 1.6 kilometres of frontage roads with improved intersections and median barrier.

“It’s great that we’ll have crews out this year already on this 4-laning project for Highway 1 that will be especially beneficial to residents and the large number of tourists and commercial drivers travelling through the region,” said Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo.

Construction will start later this fall and is expected to be completed in 2018. Work will not occur over holiday weekends and staff will be monitoring traffic throughout the duration of the project to ensure any delays related to construction are minimal. However, motorists are advised to allow for extra time and are reminded to obey traffic control personnel and construction speed limits, and watch for workers and highway message boards.

For up-to-date traffic advisories, please check: http://www.drivebc.ca/

When completed, this section of the Trans-Canada Highway will provide better traffic flow, reduced travel times, and safer, more reliable access on and off the highway.

Quick Facts:

• The Government of Canada is contributing up to $12.8 million to this project through the Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component – National and Regional Projects (PTIC-NRP).
• The Province of British Columbia is providing the remaining funding of $25.2 million. The total estimated cost of the project is $38 million.

Learn more:

For details on the North Fork Bridge project and the overall Highway 1 Kamloops to Alberta Four-Laning Program, visit: www.bchwy1.ca

During construction, find out about delays, current conditions and travel information at: www.DriveBC.ca

Follow the work of the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure at: http://tranbc.ca/