Highways are suffering from land slippage, in the Quesnel area. Two of the most concerning sites are about to get stabilization work.
“Restoring safe and reliable highways and roads in the Cariboo supports vital services and connections for people in the region,” said Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure. “With weather patterns changing as part of our new climate reality, building infrastructure that withstands extreme weather in the long term will keep people safe and maintain critical goods movement corridors across the province.”
On Highway 97 at Cottonwood Hill north of Quesnel, a segment of highway affected by a significant slow-moving landslide will be stabilized. The Highway 97 north-south artery “provides crucial access between communities in the region and is vital to the province’s economy,” said the ministry.
The other repair area is on Blackwater Road at Knickerbocker Road, a segment affected by land sloughing that will undergo realignment and reinforcement, as well as measures to help prevent future slides in the project area.
Crews at both sites are completing preliminary work such as geotechnical investigations, which includes collecting soil and water samples to inform the project designs, and environmental investigations. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.
These are the first two projects within the Cariboo Road Recovery Projects Program to reach the construction phase.
“Both are being designed with a focus on resilience to changing weather patterns while addressing stability issues and building infrastructure for the long term,” said the provincial government.
The Province has approved $538-million in funding for these projects. This includes $334.6-million for the site at Highway 97 at Cottonwood Hill, and $203.4-million for the site at Blackwater Road at Knickerbocker Road.
