NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 2008FOR0114-001217 Aug. 7, 2008	Ministry of Forests and Range
NEW OVERPASS MAKES BUSY INTERSECTION SAFER FOR HAULING

VANDERHOOF – A site tour of the Bobtail Forest Service Road overpass marks substantial progress on a $5.2-million construction project to improve traffic safety and support economic diversification, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.

 

“I hauled logs off the Bobtail back when I was in the logging and trucking industry,” said Bell. “Not only do you have more than 14,000 trucks per year crossing Highway 16 at this location, it’s an area prone to poor weather and visibility. So this is a major investment that will dramatically improve the safety of our truck drivers and the travelling public. And with the bioenergy opportunities in the region, it will also encourage further economic development.”

 

The overpass construction project is on Highway 16 near Bednesti Lake, about 50 kilometres west of Prince George. The Bobtail Forest Service road provides an off-highway haul route to Canfor’s Isle Pierre sawmill. With an estimated 600,000 to 700,000 cubic metres of wood being hauled along the Bobtail each year, road user groups identified the crossing as a significant safety concern. 

 

“This project is a great example of the kinds of actions the BC Forest Safety Council recommended for improving road safety for logging trucks and the public,” said TruckSafe program director MaryAnne Arcand.

 

Construction began in January 2008, and the work is expected to be completed this October, weather permitting. The cement abutments and overpass are in place, safety railings are being installed and large-scale earth moving is in progress for the construction of the approaches. 

 

A large percentage of the timber trucked via the Bobtail Forest Service road is beetle-attacked pine. Maintaining high safety standards to protect forest workers and public safety is a key objective of the provincial Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan. The Province has committed more than $120 million since 2006 to mitigating impacts of the beetle infestation on highways, roads in rural municipalities, and addressing safety concerns on forest service roads.

 

Photos of Bell’s tour will be posted to www.for.gov.bc.ca/pab/media/.

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Media contact:	Sophia Proctor Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592
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