Fresh coat of blacktop for Okanagan roads
Highways and side roads in the Southern Interior will be getting over $100 million in upgrades this year.
The B.C. government has announced plans for paving projects covering more than 450 kilometres of roads.
About 60 kilometres of Highways 1 and 97B, and side roads in the North Okanagan area will be repaved this summer. Okanagan Aggregates has been awarded an $11.3-million contract and work is expected to be complete this fall.
“As we continue our recovery from the dramatic effects of recent climate-related events, maintaining road infrastructure is more important than it’s ever been,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “Resurfacing projects provide good-paying jobs, protect our vital transportation corridors and ensure people and emergency services can get where they need to go.”
Fleming said the 2022 season will see approximately $113 million invested into resurfacing Southern Interior highways and local roads.
Other major resurfacing projects taking place in the region this spring and summer include:
- Highway 33 Big White Road to Molnar Road and Ellison side roads (42 kilometres):
- conventional paving – work is expected to be complete in September;
- Ootischenia area side roads (20 kilometres):
- conventional paving – work is expected to be complete in October;
- Highway 97 – Summerland to Greata Ranch (11 kilometres):
- hot-in-place recycling – work is expected to be complete in summer;
- Highway 97C Drought Hill to Silver Creek and Highway 97 Greata Ranch to Deep Creek Bridge (20 kilometres):
- conventional paving – work is expected to be complete in October;
- Highway 97C – Hamilton Hill and Highway 5, near Merritt – Coquihalla Rut Mitigation and Monck Park Road (45 kilometres):
- conventional paving – work is expected to be complete in October;
- Highway 5 – Kingsvale to Comstock, south of Merritt (20 kilometres):
- hot-in-place recycling – work is expected to be complete in summer;
- Highway 3 Wardner Road to Caithness Road, east of Cranbrook, and area side roads (36 kilometres):
- conventional paving – work is expected to be complete in October;
- Highway 3/6 and area side roads near Salmo (36 kilometres):
- conventional paving – work is expected to be complete in October;
- Highway 6/31 – Nakusp Area (32 kilometres):
- conventional Paving – work is expected to be complete by September;
- Highway 20 – Pyper Lake to Redstone Road (34 kilometres):
- conventional paving – work is expected to be complete in fall;
- Highway 24 – Lone Butte to Bridge Lake (39 kilometres):
- sealcoat – work is expected to be complete by September.