Repair work continues on the Peace Region’s highway infrastructure following unprecedented washouts and flooding last summer.

Blair Lekstrom, MLA for Peace River South and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, said of the overall repairs to the region’s highways – which includes 86 different sites along the highway network and 32 separate structures - about 85 per cent of that work has been completed as of January.

“Total damage to our infrastructure was in the range of about $53 million, which is very substantial,” he added. “The vast majority of that work has already been completed to date, though there is still some work that has to be done.”

One of the projects that will begin this week is construction of new two-lane bridge on the Dangerous Goods Route in Dawson Creek. Prince George-based Ruskin Construction was recently awarded a contract to undertake the project, which includes the permanent bridge that will replace a culvert that was washed out by flooding last June, as well resurfacing the Dangerous Goods Route from 208 Road to 250 metres south of the

southern approaches, and channel improvements to the Dawson Creek itself.

“We’re having a new structure put in that can withstand a one-in-200-year flood event,” said Lekstrom. “Obviously, as small as that creek looks on occasion, it can certainly have some damaging effects when we have the type of rains that we saw last year, so we’re putting in a permanent structure there that should accommodate that, and we shouldn’t have to deal with that issue again.”

Other major projects expected to be completed this summer include repairs to a bridge on Highway 52 about 26 kilometres south of Arras, and ongoing repairs to sections of Highway 97 South through the Pine Pass, though both highways remain open to traffic in both directions. Lekstrom said the damage throughout the Pine Pass was extensive, though it was fortunate that it was not much worse given the extent of the flooding and topography of that area.

“With the magnitude of rain that fell in the timeframe that we’ve seen last year when these floods occurred, you couldn’t build infrastructure that could withstand some of that,” he said. “What we can do is ensure as we put things back together, that our drainage courses are proper and are ditching is clean and all of that. What we can do is try to manage and engineer for a worst-case scenario, and I think we’ve done that.”

He said the traffic flows and volumes on Highway 97 South does not support the need for broadening that highway at this time.

“I think we continue to look at opportunities for passing lanes and issues that way, but the primary focus with the twinning right now is definitely Highways 2 and 97 that carry the majority of the traffic.”

However, he said with the growth of both the oil and gas and mining industries in the region, his Ministry will continue to monitor the region’s highways to see what more is needed in that respect.

Lekstrom also thanked the Ministry staff and contractors who helped to repair the region’s highways, stating that it is nothing short of extraordinary that so much work has been done in the several months since the flooding.