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FORT ST. JAMES – Residents of Fort St. James and its surrounding communities will benefit from more than $393,000 to improve travel and safety conditions on the Leo Creek Forest Service Road and several of its branches, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell, Community Development Minister Kevin Krueger and Prince George-Omineca MLA John Rustad announced today.
“The Leo Creek road has a number of
branches that access First Nation communities and some heavily used public
recreation sites,” said Rustad.
“It’s crucial these
roads are safe for the rural communities who rely on them as well as the
outdoor enthusiasts who contribute to our tourism industry.”
The Driftwood, Fall Takla
and Buckley House Forest Service roads branch off of the Leo Creek road and provide access to Takla Landing
and Buckley House First Nation communities. The
Leo-Trembleur and Leo-Kazchek provide access to the Middle River First Nation
community on Trembleur Lake. The funding will improve road drainage and provide brushing as well as a calcium chloride treatment on 38 kilometres of the heavily
used beginning of the Leo Creek Forest Service road. This will reduce summer
maintenance costs and improve safety by reducing dust.
“For many people in northern B.C., Forest Service roads are seen as an
integral part of their community’s infrastructure,” said Bell. “Keeping these roads open and safe
is essential to the economy of Fort St. James and its surrounding rural
communities.”
“These Forest Service roads are used as critical links for the Takla
Landing, Buckley House and Middle River First Nation communities” said Krueger. “Improvements to these roads will provide safer access for residents and
visitors to First Nations communities and many remote recreational sites. We’re pleased that the provincial
government is providing the funds needed to ensure that this road is safe for
the people in our rural communities who rely on it.”
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 through the 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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