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MACKENZIE – Residents of the Mackenzie area will benefit from $600,000 to improve travel and safety conditions on the Finlay-Causeway Forest Service Road, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.
“I’m pleased a significant portion of the $20 million we’ve committed to improving travel and safety conditions on Forest Service roads will benefit the residents of northern B.C.,” said Bell. “This $600,000 for resurfacing the Finlay-Causeway will support local jobs and improve the connection between Mackenzie and area communities.”
The funding will provide for 14 kilometres of resurfacing with calcium chloride, which will help improve visibility by suppressing dust. The Finlay-Causeway Forest Service Road provides access for up to 600 residents in the communities of Germansen Landing, Manson Creek, Fort Ware and Tsay Keh.
The Finlay-Causeway would serve as the initial leg to the proposed
Mackenzie to Fort St. James Connector. The proposed route would consist of the
Finlay-Causeway, Finlay-Philips, and Rainbow Forest Service roads. The
connector would support job creation and economic development by linking both
communities to each other and to the proposed Mt. Milligan mine. The Ministry
of Forests and Range is providing technical and engineering services to support
the District of Mackenzie’s work on a detailed proposal and funding request for
the transportation project.
“We’re pleased the Province can lend its technical expertise to help develop the connector proposal,” said John Rustad, MLA for Prince George-Omineca. “The engineering studies are an important step towards opening up more economic opportunities and creating a shorter, safer and more direct link between Mackenzie and Fort St. James.”
British Columbia’s 55,000-kilometre network of Forest Service roads is bigger than the provincial highway system. As first announced by Premier Gordon Campbell at the 2008 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, the Ministry of Forests and Range is providing $20 million over two years to improve travel conditions on Forest Service roads that serve as crucial transportation links for rural communities and recreation sites.
New road maintenance funding is the latest in a series of initiatives to improve safety on Forest Service roads, which include the establishment of radio protocols, speed enforcement though expanded use of radar guns, and the expansion of the Vehicle Identification Plates Program.
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Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592 |
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