Local residents can now view the preliminary design for the proposed Quesnel North-South Interconnector on the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI)’s website.
MOTI has completed the preliminary design and, as of Thursday, Sept. 3, is providing more information a 3-D animation showing the proposed route on its website.
The North-South Interconnector was recommended as a long-term future priority in the 2018 Quesnel Transportation Study. MOTI began a preliminary design on the proposed interconnector in May 2019.
The preliminary design was completed in March 2020 and involved further development of the interconnector conceptual design, revision of the construction cost estimate and the development of a business case.
READ MORE: Proposed Quesnel interconnector moves beyond preliminary design stage
The proposed route would remove heavy-truck traffic from Highway 97 in the downtown core by allowing commercial trucks to bypass downtown. Two new signalized intersections would connect to the existing Highway 97 alignment, including Front Street and the Moffat Bridge Approach, according to MOTI’s website.
The design features a new 3.7-kilometre section of Highway 97 from North Star Road to River Park Road and includes two new structures to replace the Quesnel River Bridge and the Quesnel Rail Crossing Bridge.
The interconnector is anticipated to cost in the range of $350 million to $500 million to construct, according to MOTI.
“This is a very high-level estimate, as the project is in its early phase,” MOTI states on its website.
For more information visit, gov.bc.ca/quesnelinterconnector.
editor@quesnelobserver.com
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