Forest Service Road Upgrades On Track

By 250 News

B.C. is on track to complete $20 million in targeted upgrades to more than 200 Forest Service roads that serve as crucial transportation links, improving travel and safety conditions for residents in about 70 rural communities, says Forests and Range Minister Pat
Bel.

"For many rural communities, Forest Service roads are a vital part of the local road network," said Bell. "We've already spent $14 million since we started work this spring and we're well on our way to meet our $20 million commitment by the end of the fiscal year. In partnership with the Government of Canada, we're going to see further travel and safety improvements over the next couple of years."

Over the past year, both the Federal and Preovincial  governments injected new funding to stimulate economic development and improve travel conditions on Forest Service roads that serve as crucial transportation links to rural communities and recreation sites.

Work began this past spring and will continue through the 2011 construction season. Works includes bridge repairs and replacements, ditching and culvert repairs, clearing brush to improve sight lines, removing loose rock from slope faces, new road safety signage, and road
widening, grading and resurfacing.

British Columbia's 55,000-kilometre network of Forest Service roads is bigger than the provincial highway system. Road maintenance funding is used to improve safety on Forest Service roads, which includes the establishment of radio protocols, speed enforcement through expanded use of radar guns, and the expansion of the Vehicle Identification Plates Program.

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