The B.C. Government says it is moving ahead with plans to build a dedicated Commercial Vehicle and Safety Enforcement pullout, 12 kilometres south of Barriere this year.

It says it has awarded a $2.2 million contract to Civil North Consulting Ltd. to build the facility which will be meant for vehicles heading south towards Kamloops.

“Increasing traffic volume on the Highway 5 North corridor requires more commercial vehicle inspections,” the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said, in a statement.

Construction is set to being this spring, and be complete by the fall.

The B.C. government is also launching a new average-speed data-collection system between Kamloops and Avola. It says new cameras will be installed to record the average speed of vehicles travelling between two distant points on the highway.

“The project will provide accurate information about vehicle speeds along the highway and help inform future decisions to further improve safety,” the MOTI statement added. “The cameras will be used only for ministry data gathering and not speed enforcement, which is the responsibility of police.”

The speed cameras are also expected to be installed this spring.

It is not clear when this CVSE pullout was first proposed, but a tender for the project closed in late January.

“These initiatives highlight the Province’s dedication to the safety and well-being of all travellers on Highway 5 North,” the ministry statement added. “By investing in infrastructure improvements and innovative technologies, the Province is working to create safer roadways for all British Columbians.”

These new announcements come days after local leaders in the North Thompson raised concerns about a lack of funding for the Yellowhead Highway in the 2024 B.C. budget.

Safety upgrades on the Yellowhead Highway in the North Thompson have been an issue for a number of years.