16 Four Laning Goes To Tender
Transportation Minister Todd Stone announces next step in project. ( photos 250News)
Prince George BC- The plan is complete the brush has has been cleared and today the tender is open for the four landing of highway 16 between Bunce and Jensen Roads.
The project has a $24 million dollar price tag with the Federal government chipping in $10 million and the Province picking up the balance. The City of Prince George also has a stake in this project providing $600 thousand for improved lighting and traffic signals at the intersections.
The City is taking advantage of the construction to install a new watermain for the Vanway area, but the costs have yet to be finalized and will be in addition to the $600 thousand being provided for the intersection work.
It is expected the project will start next summer and be complete in 2018.
The project will see improvements to the intersections at Bunce/Gauthier Road, Haldi Road , Blackwater/Sykes Road and Jensen.
The work to improve the Highway 16 corridor will continue as there is much to be done to relieve congestion from Domano through to Highway 97. MLA Shirley Bond says work to identify ways to ease congestion continues.
Editor’s note:
This story has been modified to correct a spelling error.
Comments
here is an idea build the freaking bridge linking the heights to 97 south like we were promised 30 years ago
SO AGREE!!!!
That is a crazy amount of money for such a small stretch of road. This part of the highway without question should be done to at least beaverly petro -can if not to the top of mud river hill.
That’s about 3km, eh? So $8 per kilometre. What is the typical cost of doubling 1km of highway?
I hope the outfit that wins the tender does a better job of paving than the last yahoo who made the passing lanes west of here.
I do love watching a traveling circus, and there will be plenty of more shows between now and May, 2017.
Actually if you have been paying attention with out a myopic view, road improvement construction has been going for years.
Actually if you have been paying attention, you might want to ask yourself; “why is all of this highway construction taking place within Prince George city limits!
Some things just makes a people go; hmmmm… and then they come to the realization; oh yeah, there’s an election coming.
The high cost can likely be attributed to the number of intersections involved as they will likely have proper accel/decel and turning lanes.
One hazard that will be added when this project is completed is for those turning east from Buckingham or Sykes Road West as they will have to cross two lanes of westbound traffic and enter into the fast eastbound lane headed towards town.Might be a good idea to direct all this traffic to Blackwater intersection and install a light.
There will be a light installed at Blackwater/Sykes and a frontage road to bring traffic from Buckingham.
“Bounce Road” lol. Try again.
Yep Bounce.Not a mistake but proof that Elaine has driven on it:P
Thank you for noting the error. It has been corrected, although Sparrow may be right that it should be named “Bounce”. LOL
Wait a minute. Both announcement signs shown, only state four laning between Bunce and Blackwater roads. Where does the Jensen road aspect come into the picture?
I would suspect that $10M in federal dollars is a good enough incentive to push this forward now rather than later. And yes the improvements are definitely needed!
I see Shirley has her **I’m really into this announcement** look on her face.
Government must have won a lottery, all of a sudden they seem to have an endless supply of money that is being spend on things they claimed they didn’t have money for had since the last election.
Hah! They don’t have to win it, they just take a steady income off it all the time.
I don’t understand why everyone is complaining. Who cares if an election is coming? All parties spend money when an election is coming. At least we are getting something instead of all the money going south.
These are but crumbs. Our money is still going south. Have you seen the never ending construction project down there?
I understand that there will also be work done in front of Vanway school which will include sidewalks and lighting. This area has been unsafe for children attending Vanway for many years and hopefully the underground tunnel will also be addressed as it is flooded in the spring and a rainy fall. I don’t know why everyone is complaining too duffer.
They are complaining because the Libs are using tax dollars to buy votes. Where have you two been?
Then tell me where and when should they use our tax dollars?? Our tax money is going to make the streets and highway safe. Vanway area has been neglected for years. It’s been long awaited.
Where is the evidence that there is major congestion and long line ups at the traffic light on that stretch of road? Where are the vehicle accident stats for that stretch of road?
I have a friend that travels that stretch of road into PG every morning during rush hour, from Beaverly, he says it is not that congested. Perhaps they could be spending $24 Million on other areas that are truly congested, and have higher accident rates.
I understand the Blackwater intersection was bad for accidents at one time, but putting in that merge lane has really reduced the number of accidents at that intersection.
BeingHuman, you have a friend?
Come on, seriously! Would your friend be JGalt, or perhaps People#1?
Obviously you aren’t aware that your alter egos don’t really count as friends! ;-)
Cheers!
Hart Guy
You forgot the part where they all drive their imaginary Chevy Spark EVs to meet for coffee,each one a different color.:P
Our politicians look sad today. Note to self. If your going to have a photo opp, smile and look happy.
I think she realizes that most of the voting public are starting to see these projects and funding announcements for what they are; electioneering! It’s simple really, what we are witnessing here is an election campaign, where the sitting government has cancelled the Fall sitting of the legislature so their Liberal MPs can go out across BC, make funding announcements on projects that use our tax dollars to win us favour for them in the upcoming election.
This is all just my opinion of course, but I am sure a good many would agree with my opinion.
And the federal liberals are complicit in this electioneering by kicking in $10 million to the project to ensure the Clark government is re-elected. More surprising is Lyn Hall and company tossing in 600 large.
The improvments have nothing to do with the man on the scooter who was stuck and killed this year or the UNBC student whose memorial still stands by Blackwater or the three members of one family killed in this stretch a few years ago or the Jensen road tragedy……no it vote buying plain and simple. Get effen real.
No need for swear words. Firstly; the $10 Million the Feds kicked in did not specify where the highway improvements were to occur, anywhere in BC covers that. The question I asked before in an earlier comment, which remains unanswered, is why did the BC Liberal choose to spend that funding on this stretch of highway “inside Prince George city limits”???
I asked for vehicle accident statistics, and you gave us some examples from your memory, which should not have included the Jensen Road family who were killed by a drunk driver that plowed into the back of their vehicle when they were stopped on the highway facing west waiting for oncoming traffic to clear before making a left hand turn onto Jensen Road. Residents in that area were very concerned that there was no dedicated left turn lane, which there is now, and resolves that safety issue. Besides why include the Jensen Road tragedy when the highway project work does not extend to, or include Jensen Road?
So whose turn is it to “get real here”?
As you start foaming at the mouth and start yelling “election election” in a Pavlovian response to a photo or mere mention of the premier or local mla’s I will help a bit. So you don’t have to scroll back near picture I will paste a section of the article and highlight parts thereof.
“The project will see improvements to the INTERSECTIONS at Bunce/Gauthier Road, Haldi Road , Blackwater/Sykes Road AND JENSEN”
Perhaps News 250 should add a tag line to these stories that the good doctor must have used many times:
Sit—Sit—no Sit….K…Stay—-Stay—-Good boy!
So if Shirley and Mike are making an an announcement or cutting a ribbon a year from now,according to you,will they be on the stump 3 1/2 before Christy’s three-peat victory in 2021?
Turnouts are only put in once someone important or more than one regular peon gets plowed into an early grave from behind.
Turn signals only get put in after a few peons get T-boned into early graves.
What an outstanding metric the Provincial government has for road improvements.
Good point, now here is the real kicker, two or three winters ago, it took a body count of 21 people dying in fatal accidents on Highway 16 before this government upgraded that highway’s maintenance rating from B Class to A class. With the upgrade in highway maintenance rating, $4 million additional dollars was allocated for Highway 16’s winter maintenance.
21 people dead, and then the government took action!
I like how 16W and 97N only got upgraded to Class A, because they were deemed critical to oil and gas development, especially LNG. The Liber….SoCreds didn’t give a damn about 21 deaths. All they were concerned about was taking care of the interests of their constituents: the oil and gas industry.
The picture is priceless… Shirley Bond looking BORED and Mike looks worried, almost like hiding behind Todd
Its a long pull from Mud River up to Blackwater. Sure would be nice to have a passing lane the whole length of that stretch. That’s where I see the craziest of dangerous passes on this highway.
As is I think the $24 million would have been better spent on an Ospika overpass just west of Walmart.
Passing lane? If the one coming up Mud River hill is any indication there would be two chip trucks side by side from bottom of Mud River to the crest at Blackwater with the occasional loaded logging truck in the mix just for fun.
The Ospika project seems to have disappeared completely from the city’s capitol plans and priced at 20million+ in 2010 dollars should not get back on unless there is a major spike in PGs population.
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