Paving Ready To Start Between Clinton and 100 Mile House

Sunday, September 06, 2009 05:29 AM

Clinton, B.C.-Paving is set to begin this month on three sections of Highway 97 between Clinton and 100 Mile House The upgrades are part of the Cariboo Connector program.

Originally the Cariboo Connector program was a commitment of $200 million, but that has grown to $240 million.

A $3.8-million paving contract has been awarded to Okanagan Aggregates Ltd. to complete the four-laning of the following three sections of the highway this fall:

* 2.5 km at 59 Mile North.
* 2.0 km at Bullock Lake Road South.
* 1.0 km at Stormy Road South.

The Cariboo Connector is a provincial strategy to gradually widen Highway 97 from Prince George to Cache Creek. The Province is addressing priority sections of the highway first, typically in urban areas around industrial and commercial centres where high-traffic volumes result in congestion.

In rural areas, four-laning is being done where passing lanes are needed. Eventually, the remaining portions of the highway will also be four-laned. To date, $241.7 million of Cariboo Connector projects have been initiated including the recently-completed four laning of the Simon Fraser Bridge in Prince George.

During construction, motorists can expect minor detours and intermittent delays of up to 20 minutes, but these will be minimized as much as possible.

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Posted on Sunday, September 06, 2009 05:29 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: woodwoman on September 6 2009 7:56 AM

5.5 km of paving - wow - it will take mega years to have a 4-lane from PG to Cache Creek - maybe this is where the annual maintenance grant for School Districts is going - pavement.
According to Gordo and his gang that road should be finished by now - that was the previous election promise - oh, I am sure Shirley in her new capacity will get things going along - not sure if she has an enegineering degree - certainly didn't know education.

Posted by: gus on September 6 2009 9:40 AM

"The Province is addressing priority sections of the highway first, typically in urban areas around industrial and commercial centres where high-traffic volumes result in congestion."

I see. So that means:
1. A Hixon Bypass?
2. A Quesnel by-pass??
3. A Williams Lake Bypass?
4. A 100 Mile House Bypass?
5. A Clinton Bypass?
6. A Cache Creek Bypass?

In whose lifetime?

Posted by: HD on September 6 2009 1:47 PM

No, it means bypass surgery..................

Posted by: gus on September 6 2009 4:31 PM

Same principle ..... :-)

Posted by: Wolfie on September 6 2009 8:21 PM

It's true... more time would be saved on the trip from PG to Cache Creek by building these by-passes than by 4-laning the rest. Would you save more time by being able to go 100km/h the whole way (4 lanes preventing you from getting stuck behind anyone) but still 50 km or less (stoplights, etc.) in these towns, or by averaging 90km/h the whole way, even while bypassing these towns? I haven't run the math, but it seems like an easy one to me.

Would be way cheaper too, I'm sure.

Posted by: acrider54 on September 6 2009 9:32 PM

Yeah Front Street in Quesnel, what a joke for a so called major highway.

Posted by: oldtrucker on September 6 2009 10:31 PM

Now why would you need a bypass in Williams Lake?Hwy.97 does not go through the down town core like the other towns.I would say that Quesnel is in need of one more than any.The rest of the towns are too small to need a bypass.

Posted by: Wolfie on September 7 2009 10:47 AM

While Oldtrucker is right that Williams Lake (and to a lesser extent, 100 Mile) have mini-bypasses that avoid the main drag, the problem is that the cities have allowed development along the bypasses, because that's where the traffic is. The result is more traffic lights on these bypasses, and more congestion. Thus, the bypass ceases to be a bypass, and becomes a major commercial street.

Look at Yellowhead Trail in Edmonton for an example of this. At one point it was a great bypass, but now it's full of congestion during peak times.

Posted by: gus on September 7 2009 1:09 PM

I agree that Quesnel is the one in most need of a bypass. It would not only miss narrow downtown streets, but also potentially reduce the distance travelled from about 12 to 8 km depending on which route would be possible to take.

When it comes to re-building highways through communities that have grown around highways with the highway being the main street, one has to be careful to make sure that the new bypass does not repeat the same mistake of the original. The temptation is often great.

The Trans Canada through Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley, and Surrey is excellent. By the time one hits Coquitlam, the highway starts to become congested since it becomes a local commuter route, but few people bypass the GVRD anyway.