The installation of pedestrian countdown timers at city intersections and shoulder rumble strips on on Jubilee Parkway are among the road improvements made in Campbell River through nearly $83,000 in funding contributed by ICBC through its provincial road improvement program.
The funding was part of $104,000 for North Island improvement projects in Campbell River, Port McNeill and Gold River.
Most of the Campbell River projects were undertaken in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation, though a $20,000 contribution to create sidewalks and crosswalks at 14th and 15th avenues, Spruce Street and Hwy. 19A downtown supplemented funding from the City of Campbell River.
“Working in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and local governments, ICBC has been investing in road improvement projects across the province for two and a half decades,” said MLA Jordan Sturdy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “These projects have brought immediate benefits for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians in communities all over Vancouver Island.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of ICBC’s road improvement program with more than $130 million invested in B.C. roads since 1990. The road improvement program has evolved, ICBC said, through partnerships, community investments and the use of innovative technology and tools that have helped advance the knowledge of the road safety engineering industry across Canada.
In 2014, ICBC invested approximately $1.3 million on Vancouver Island and $7.7 million in projects and safety audits across the province.
Other projects in Campbell River in 2014 included:
- Construction of a turnaround area for school buses on Hwy. 19 at Browns Bays Road.
- Lane and shoulder widening and improved pavement marking on Hwy. 19 to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
- Placement of recessed centreline reflectors on Hwy. 28.
- Installation of thermoplastic pavement markings on Hwy. 19 and Hwy. 19A.
ICBC also contributed $14,700 in partnership with the Village of Gold River for the installation of pedestrian flashers at the mid-block crosswalk on the school route and updated sign sheeting to diamond grade.