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VICTORIA - Residents in the West Kootenay/Boundary area will benefit
from $573,300 to improve travel and safety conditions on several Forest Service
roads (FSRs), Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell, Community Development
Minster Kevin Krueger and Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Bill Bennett
announced today.
“These Forest Service Road provide
important access to many rural residences as well as some popular recreation
sites,” said Bennett. “It’s crucial these roads are maintained and safe for the
rural communities that rely on them.”
The maintenance will occur on nearly
90 kilometres of Forest Service roads and the works include grading, ditching,
brushing, rock scaling and some additional surfacing with calcium chloride to
reduce dust and improve visibility.
The Kettle River FSR provides access
to a number of recreation sites along the Kettle River valley and the Granby
FSR, which begins north of Grand Forks, provides access to rural residences and
recreations sites and serves as a shortcut to the Needles Ferry on Arrow Lake
and the communities of Edgewood and Renata.
The Deer Creek FSR provides access
for approximately 60 residents to the community of Deer Park on the north shore
of Lower Arrow Lake, 25 kilometres east of Castlegar. The Ladybird Creek FSR,
immediately north of Castlegar, provides access to rural residents.
“We recognize the important role many
Forest Service roads play as part of infrastructure in rural areas,” said Bell.
“We want to ensure that crucial roads to these communities, as well as the
parks and wilderness areas around them, receive the maintenance needed to keep
them accessible.”
The Duncan River FSR, north of Duncan
Lake, provides access to rural residents and numerous recreation sites. Glacier
Creek FSR, at the south end of Duncan Lake, provides access to recreation sites
north of the Purcell Wilderness Provincial Park. The Idaho Lookout FSR, near
New Denver, provides access to a recreation site near the ghost towns of Sandon
and Cody. The Pedro Creek FSR, midway between Castlegar and Slocan, provides
access to rural residents.
“Communities in the Kootenay region
have told this government they value the economic and social opportunities that
come from having a stronger road network. We listened and we are taking action
to strengthen the connection between isolated communities and city centres,” said
Krueger. “Whether it’s accessing health care, exploring new mineral
opportunities or opening new regions to tourism, the benefits of this
investment will strengthen the region as a whole.”
British Columbia’s 55,000-kilometre
network of Forest Service roads is bigger than the provincial highway system.
As first announced by Premier Campbell at the 2008 Union of B.C. Municipalities
convention, the Ministry of Forests and Range is providing $20 million to
improve travel conditions on Forest Service roads that serve as crucial
transportation links to rural communities and recreation sites. The Province of
British Columbia and the Government of Canada committed on April 7, 2009 to a
further $20 million in shared funding for additional Forest Service road
upgrades that will be announced in the coming months.
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
expanded use of radar guns, and the expansion of the Vehicle Identification
Plates Program.
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contact: |
Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592 |
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