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ABBOTSFORD – The City of Abbotsford is receiving up to $16.6 million from the provincial and federal governments toward an upgrade of the McCallum Road interchange on the Trans-Canada Highway. The project will improve safety for motorists and provide better access for residents to key public amenities.
The announcement was made today by Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Kevin Falcon, Abbotsford MP Ed Fast, Abbotsford-Clayburn MLA John van Dongen and Abbotsford Mayor George Peary.
“An upgrade to the McCallum Road interchange is a priority for the City of Abbotsford, and it’s a priority for the Province as well,” said Falcon. “We’re investing in a project that will improve a vital link between communities on either side of Highway 1, and provide better access to the new Abbotsford Regional Hospital and other facilities.”
“The McCallum Rd. interchange has been a source of aggravation for many, years,” said Fast. “With the completion of the 7,000 seat arena, improved access to and from that part of our city has become even more critical. I am thrilled that our federal government has agreed to partner with the city and the province to make this project a reality.”
The city and ministry are in the process of finalizing plans, which will see a number of safety improvements at McCallum Road and Highway 1. These include longer merge lanes, an overpass capable of accommodating higher traffic volumes, and changes to the traffic pattern to ensure that peak volume traffic does not back up onto Highway 1.
“This upgrade to the McCallum Road interchange will make it easier for residents of Abbotsford to access the surrounding community,” said van Dongen. “This project, and the new climbing lane on Highway 1 at Mt. Lehman, will help improve safety on major routes through our community.”
“This project is a great investment and benefit to our city,” said Peary. “Expanding this section of road will improve transportation efficiency and will create jobs at a time when they are needed most.”
The provincial and federal governments are contributing two-thirds of eligible project costs, up to $16.6 million. The balance of project costs will be funded by the City of Abbotsford.
The investment in the McCallum Road Interchange Upgrade is part of an overall $14-billion capital infrastructure program supported by the Province that will create up to 88,000 jobs and help build vital public infrastructure in every region of B.C.
The federal portion of the funding
comes from the $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund to provide funding to
provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure projects. Funding will be
available for two years for projects that will begin during the 2009 and 2010
construction seasons. This initiative is structured to flow funding and get
shovels in the ground quickly.
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Communications Manager Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure 250 356-7707
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Manager, Corporate Communications and Marketing City of Abbotsford 604 864-5564
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Member of Parliament Abbotsford 604 557-7888
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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. |
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