The Minister of Highways, Todd Stone, was on hand at Roberts Lake Tuesday to announce a project to improve safety for motorists and cyclists on three sections of highway north of Campbell River is out to tender.
In the Roberts Lake area, approximately 30 kilometres north of Campbell River, the shoulders of Highway 19 will be widened to better accommodate cyclists. The widened shoulders, three kilometres in length, will tie into the existing paved highway shoulders on Highway 19 south of Roberts Lake and will include the installation of shoulder rumble strips.
The highway shoulders will also be improved on approximately 10 kilometres of Sayward Road, from the Highway 19 junction to the northernmost Kelsey Way intersection in Sayward. The wider paved shoulders will improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians on this section of Sayward Road, including through a large portion of the village.
As well, Highway 19 will be resurfaced from Eve River Bridge to Tsitika Lake Bridge, east of Woss, a distance of 20 kilometres. New lane markings will be installed, and shoulder rumble strips and centreline reflectors will be installed to improve safety. The asphalt milled during this work will be recycled for use in the Roberts Lake and Sayward Road shoulder-widening work.
“Rehabilitation of provincial highways and improvements to our side roads are major components of our 10-year transportation plan, B.C. on the Move,” said Minister of Transportation and infrastructure Todd Stone at an announcement at Roberts Lake on Tuesday. “This work to widen shoulders near Sayward and Roberts Lake and to resurface a portion of Highway 19 north of Campbell River is an important investment, and will improve safety for cyclists and motorists in the region.”
Work on all three sections of this project is expected to begin in early summer, pending a successful bid on the project tender. The cost of the project will be made public when the contract is awarded. Additional projects to improve the safety and reliability of B.C.’s provincial highway and side road network will be announced as they are finalized.
The work on Highway 19 is part of government’s commitment to invest $380 million over the next three years to resurface provincial highways. This is a major component of B.C. on the Move, with 1,000 kilometres of provincial highway to be resurfaced annually.
The Sayward Road upgrade is part of government’s commitment in B.C. on the Move to improve the condition of provincial side roads. $270 million is to be invested over the next three years to improve over 500 kilometres of side roads each year.
Learn More:
Find out more about B.C. on the Move, the Province’s 10-year transportation plan.
Design starts on north Courtenay connector; two-lane Dove Creek bridge
As part of B.C. on the Move, the Province’s new 10-year transportation plan, work has begun to improve the connection between Highway 19 and north Courtenay, providing better access to key destinations in the region, announced Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Todd Stone.
Once completed, the new road will better connect Highway 19 with important services in the Comox Valley such as the new Comox Valley hospital, the Little River ferry terminal and the Comox airport.
Improvements will include approximately 700 metres of new two-lane road running west from the intersection of Headquarters Road and Dove Creek Road to the intersection of Piercy Road and Dove Creek Road, where Piercy Road continues on to Highway 19. The project will also include a new, two-lane bridge across the Tsolum River.
Engineering work has begun and includes survey work, geotechnical testing and detailed design, and this work is expected to be completed over the next year.
This project builds on a key component in B.C. on the Move to work with communities to improve access to and from provincial highways.