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NEWS RELEASE |
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For Immediate Release |
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
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$5.9 MILLION TO IMPROVE SAFETY ALONG HIGHWAY 16
PRINCE GEORGE – The safety and reliability of Highway 16 between Prince George and Fraser Lake will be improved with three highway improvement projects totalling $5.9 million.
The announcement was made today by the Honourable Jay Hill, MP for Prince George-Peace River and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure and MLA for Prince George – Valemount Shirley Bond, Minister of Forests and Range and MLA from Prince George – Mackenzie Pat Bell, and Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad.
“Together with the province and municipalities, the Government of Canada is building and upgrading the infrastructure needed to help our local economies thrive now and in the future,” said Hill. “We are getting shovels in the ground and delivering funding faster to stimulate the economy and create jobs for British Columbians.”
“Highway 16 is a vital link like for residents and commercial traffic in our region,” said Bond. “These stimulus funds allow us to move ahead with improvements on this important route, and the three projects near Burns Lake, Fraser Lake and Prince George will create over 30 jobs. The partnerships between all levels of government is unprecedented and has resulted in billions of dollars of infrastructure improvement right across B.C.”
“We want take every opportunity to get people back to work,” said Bell. “These projects not only provide jobs and economic stimulus, but also provide better roadways that we all benefit from.”
“This is yet another enhancement along the Highway 16 corridor that will improve safety, time, and convenience for Northern drivers,” said Rustad. “Best of all, it gets people working at a time when every job counts.”
The governments of Canada and British Columbia will each invest up to $2.95 million for the three highway improvement projects, which will get underway next construction season:
These are three of 27 projects across the province announced on Nov. 19, 2009, that will break ground, thanks to close to $145 million in joint federal and provincial funding. The Governments of Canada and British Columbia have taken steps to get shovels in the ground and to flow money faster for targeted infrastructure projects starting in the 2009 construction season.
To date, Infrastructure Stimulus Funds have supported over 330 projects across the province, totalling almost $960 million. Since October 2008, over $4.1 billion has been announced for infrastructure projects across British Columbia, which will create an estimated 26,000 jobs.
The projects are funded under the Province’s three-year, $14-billion capital infrastructure program, which will create up to 88,000 jobs and help build vital public infrastructure in every region of B.C.
For more information on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, please visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
The website www.creatingjobs.gc.ca has more information on federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia.
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Contact: |
Kera Wilkinson Special Assistant Hon. Jay Hill, P.C., M.P. Prince George-Peace River Leader of the Government in the House of Commons 613 947-4525
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Jeff Knight Public Affairs Bureau Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure 250 356-7707
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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.
