A $2.33-million contract has been awarded to Brocor Construction Ltd. of Dawson Creek for a project to upgrade the intersection at Highway 97 and Montney Highway (Road 254), announced MLA for Peace River South Mike Bernier on behalf of Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone.

“Making safety improvements at intersections has a significant impact on the number of accidents on our roads and highways,” said Bernier. “This improvement to the intersection at Highway 97 and Montney Highway will improve safety for residents and for the large number of commercial drivers who regularly travel on this road.”

The project, located about 30 km north of Fort St. John, includes realigning and widening the intersection, construction of left turn lanes, and upgrading the lighting to increase safety on this busy route which is heavily used by commercial traffic as an alternative route to Alberta. Work on the project is expected to begin in May, with completion in late September.

Development of industries such as oil and gas, forestry, and agriculture has increased the use of large vehicles in northern British Columbia to safely and reliably transport goods and equipment throughout the region. As a crucial corridor for these vehicles, Highway 97 now experiences one of the highest ratios of commercial versus public traffic in the province.

This project is part of B.C. on the Move, the B.C. government’s 10-year transportation plan for the improvement of the province’s transportation network. Over the next three years, the ministry and its partners are investing over $4.6 billion in priority transportation investments as part of this plan.

Learn more:

B.C. on the Move is available online at: www.gov.bc.ca/bconthemove