A $22.2-million project will begin this construction season to rehabilitate the Alexandra Bridge, located on Highway 1 approximately three kilometres north of Spuzzum and 40 kilometres north of Hope.

“Highway 1 is a key route linking communities, and this bridge rehabilitation will benefit local residents, tourists and commercial drivers by providing a safe, reliable crossing that meets the most up-to-date seismic standards,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone.

The Alexandra Bridge is 490 metres long, crosses the Fraser River and the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National rail lines, and provides access to the historic Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park. The project includes general maintenance, deck repair, abutment rehabilitation, bearing replacement, and structural modifications that will bring the structure up to modern engineering code.

“This is a main provincial route that moves people and goods to tourist destinations, resource industries and communities within British Columbia,” said Chilliwack-Hope MLA Laurie Throness. “The Alexandra Bridge rehabilitation project will ensure it is kept in good condition, and is a strategic investment in our transportation network.”

Surespan Construction Ltd. of North Vancouver will undertake the work that is set to begin later this spring and run through to the end of 2018. During construction, crews will make every effort to ensure construction-related traffic delays are kept to a minimum. Some single-lane alternating will be required and drivers are reminded to obey traffic-control personnel and construction speed limits, watch for workers and message boards, and check www.DriveBC.ca for the most-up-to-date travel information.

With this latest project, the ministry has now invested more than $80 million in bridge seismic retrofit projects since 2001.

This project is part of B.C. on the Move, the Province’s 10-year transportation plan. 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.

Quick Fact:

• This $22.2-million investment is expected to generate an estimated 65 direct jobs over the course of the project.

Learn More:

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

Follow the work of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure online: http://www.tranbc.ca