$90 Million for Beetle Pounded Roads

By 250 News

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon makes the announcement of dollars to upgrade roads pounded by  extra logging truck traffic

Chief Lake Road is at the top of the list of roads needing improvement because of extra logging truck traffic.  That was part of the announcement from Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon as he  made public the province's committment of $30 million dollars  a year for the next three years to  repair  highways and side roads beaten by  the extra logging truck traffic.

"As the province increases the  allowable cut,  that will mean 345 thousand more loads of logs heading over the highways, that is the equivalent of 1 billion passenger vehicles travelling the same roads" says Falcon.  

As the  efforts to harvest beetle kill wood intensify, the provincial highways, especially in the Prince George to Vanderhoof region, have seen a 600% increase in heavy truck traffic over the past five years.

With  the increase in allowable cut, Falcon says his Ministry will work with Forests and Range to identify long term cut areas so provincial roads can be prepared to ensure they will stand up to the  task.  The upgrading and repairs will not include forestry roads.

Repairs will include, some repaving, some base and  gravel improvements.  In the case of Chief Lake Road, the plan is to widen that stretch so it can handle the mix of logging trucks and residential traffic.  The Ministry also has the Blackwater Road  near the top of the repair list,  as  is Stella Road in the Vanderhoof area. Falcon says the repairs and upgrading will start as soon as paving season  begins.

He says $30 million a year can (depending on the nature of repair) improve up to 450 km of roads.

The dollars announced today are  new dollars and  amount  to a doubling of the road rehabilitation budget for this area.

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us