Update: Major highway and side road improvement projects are moving ahead with a number of precautions in place to minimize the risks of COVID-19 transmission.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said over $85-million is being invested to resurface more than 300 kilometres of highways and side roads in the southern Interior this spring and summer.
Highway 20 near Williams Lake will see approximately 28 kilometers of seal coating from the Sheep Creek Brake Check to Hodgson road. Work is anticipated to start in the first week of August, and finish in early September.
On Highway 97, 33-kilometers of intermittent resurfacing between McLeese Lake and Dale Lake near Quesnel is also scheduled. The project is anticipated to start by early June and finish by mid-September.
Read More: Williams Lake approves $579,936 paving contract, still has more to expend on road rehabilitation
Minister Claire Trevena said safety comes first in all of these projects.
The awarded contract value of the Highway 20 project is $1.3 million, and $7.3 million for the Highway 97 project.
Construction employers have been directed by B.C.’s provincial health officer to ensure workers maintain a physical distance of at least two metres apart from each other over the course of their duties and during breaks.
Anyone exhibiting COVID-19 like symptoms will be directed to self-isolate at home for at least 10 days, the ministry noted.
Drivers can expect delays and, at time, single-lane alternating traffic as the projects are taking place.
Although highways and roads remain open, people are advised by the provincial health officer to stay close to home and avoid any non-essential travel.
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