 |
| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
|
| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
MERRITT
– A new four-lane section of the
Okanagan Connector completes the Coquihalla Highway system and celebrates the
30th anniversary since its construction was first announced,
Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said today.
An $18.25-million investment has four-laned a nine-km
stretch of Highway 97C between Garcia and Courtney lakes, just east of Merritt.
It was the last two-lane section on the 300-km Coquihalla system. The upgrade
improves efficiency by allowing drivers to maintain the highway’s normal speed
of 100 km per hour, instead of adjusting to 90-km/hr. The contractor is Emil
Anderson Construction.
“The Coquihalla system provides motorists with quick and
safe access to and from the Interior and has spurred enormous economic
activity,” Falcon said. “British Columbia is known for ambitious highway
projects, and that is a tradition we are continuing with other major
investments including the Kicking Horse Canyon, the Sea-to-Sky, the William R.
Bennett Bridge in Kelowna, and the Gateway Program.”
In addition to improving efficiency, the project also:
·
Improves safety
·
Provides assured passing
opportunities
·
Improves local access to
the highway
·
Supports enhanced tourism
and economic opportunities
·
Provides two underpasses
for movement of cattle and farm equipment
Located
at the junction of the Coquihalla Highway and the Okanagan Connector, the City
of Merritt is seeing the benefits of being on a major transportation route,
Mayor David Laird said.
“Not
only do we have a growing service industry where motorists can gas up and grab
a bite to eat, but the improved access to this region has made Merritt and
surrounding region one of the more desirable places to live,” Laird said.
For more information about B.C.’s major highway projects,
visit www.th.gov.bc.ca/projects.htm.
-30-
|
|
||
|
contact: |
Communications Director Ministry of Transportation 250 387-7787 |
|
|
|
||
|
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
||
