Emil Anderson Construction has been awarded the contract for a four-laning project on the Trans-Canada Highway that will improve safety, efficiency and capacity along this section of Highway 1.
The Illecillewaet four-laning project, approximately 42 kilometres east of Revelstoke, includes two kilometres of highway widening, expanding the existing brake-check area to accommodate up to 15 trucks and adding acceleration and deceleration lanes for commercial vehicles entering or leaving the brake check.
This is the first project on the Trans-Canada Highway between Kamloops and Alberta to be built using the Community Benefits Agreement. Community benefits will include job and training opportunities for people in the local area and will increase the participation of apprentices and workers traditionally under-represented in the construction trades, such as Indigenous peoples, women and people with disabilities.
The $85.2-million project is cost shared. The Government of Canada is contributing up to $15.5 million through the Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component of the New Building Canada Fund and the Province is providing the remaining $69.7 million. The project budget has increased by $22.3 million due to escalating costs of materials, labour and the complexity of the work required.
British Columbia Infrastructure Benefits, the Employer on the project, launched its website and opened its application process in mid-April and has received a lot of interest from prospective workers. In the first few weeks, approximately 190 people have applied for work. The majority of applicants are from Revelstoke and Golden. From the candidate list, approximately 20 per cent are women and 10 per cent have self-declared as Indigenous. The applications have come from people with a mix of trades.
The Illecillewaet Four-Laning Project will provide employment and training opportunities for Indigenous people, local workers, women, and other underrepresented groups over two construction seasons.
This type of work is seasonal and weather dependent. A work camp is not expected for this project.
Work is expected to get underway next month, with completion in spring 2022.
During construction, drivers can expect periodic delays and potential temporary closures, and should slow down and use caution when travelling through the work area.
For the most up-to-date traffic information, people should continue to check DriveBC.ca and @DriveBC on Twitter.
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