Photo of TransCanada in the Tappen area set to undergo 4-laning and other upgrades/via BC Government
The BC government is set to launch the next section of the planned upgrades to the TransCanada Highway east of Kamloops.
The province has announced the contract for upgrades between Ford Road and Tappen Valley Road has gone to tender.
“Work on the 4.3-kilometre section of highway will include widening the two-lane highway to four lanes and replacing the aging Tappen overpass and constructing frontage roads,” said the BC Government in a release.
The project, which includes a stretch of highway running through the Little Shuswap Lake Band Indian Reserve #5, is designed to make upgrades to a notoriously dangerous stretch of the TransCanada through the Shuswap.
“At certain times of the year, particularly around summer, this is a very, very busy section, with a lot of people turning off and on the road here,” said Marty Gibbons, local area Director with the Columbia Shuswap Regional District. “That [area] is a real safety concern.”
Map of new road construction area north of Salmon Arm/via BC government
This project itself is expected to cost around 243-million dollars to build.
This is largely due to the additional infrastructure being built to accommodate local traffic in the area.
“A new eastbound commercial carrier pullout will be built, benefiting commercial drivers who travel the route,” said the BC Government in a release.
“Wider shoulders and the frontage road system will support cyclists, pedestrians and people using other modes of active transportation.”
The province anticipates the contracts to be awarded by early this summer.
This project is part of the broader plans to 4-lane the TransCanada from Kamloops to the Alberta border.
Map of TransCanada upgrades planned from Kamloops to the Alberta Border/via BC Government
