The construction of a retaining wall three storeys high will be part of improvements to 1.2 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway east of Golden, helping make this important route safer and more reliable, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced in a press release.

This work will begin four kilometres east of Golden, and includes four- laning, retaining wall construction, concrete median barrier, improved drainage, wildlife fencing, and re-vegetation.

Almost 60 jobs are expected to be generated over the life of the projects.

At approximately 125 metres long and nine metres high at the tallest point, the retaining wall enables expanding the road from two lanes to four while eliminating tight curves and stabilizing the steep slope in this area.

“The widening of the highway to four lanes and alignment improvements along Highway 1 will make a big difference for travellers and industry,” said Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Blair Lekstrom. “Creative engineering solutions, like the retaining wall used on this project, make investments like this possible. When complete, the highway here will be wider, straighter and safer.”

Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald said is pleased to see more much-needed work on the Trans-Canada has been approved.

“It’s the latest in a series of really significant improvements over the last couple of years,” he said, noting safety and smoother movement of traffic has been and will continue to be the result.

“It’s also been an important provided of employment,” he said, noting some local forestry contractors have been able to avoid the pains of the forest industry downturn by picking up highway construction contracts.

The highway improvement, including the improvements underway between Golden Hill and West Portal, will widen the Trans-Canada Highway to four lanes for distance of almost six km east of Golden.

A $4.98-million contract has been awarded to Tercon Construction.  Construction will begin this fall, with completion anticipated in one year.

This work is the final portion of the $68.5-million Golden Hill to West Portal project, jointly funded by the federal, provincial and local governments. The Government of Canada is investing up to $32.3 million under the Building Canada Fund, and the Town of Golden is contributing $570,000.

This is part of the Kicking Horse Canyon/Trans-Canada Corridor Project, and is just one of a number of recent improvements to safety and reliability of travellers and commerce leading to our communities and trade ports. More information is available at: www.kickinghorsecanyon.ca.

Macdonald said there remains an urgent need for the province and federal government to finish four-laning the Trans-Canada from the Alberta border to Kamloops.

“It is in many ways, still, a 1950s-highway,” he said, which considering traffic volumes means it remains a dangerous road.

Seventeen people died in a one month period during the summer of 2010 on the Trans-Canada in B.C. and as many as 2,200 semis a day roll past Golden, Macdonald pointed out.

“It is massively important as a transportation route. It is hugely important to our economy. I will continue to push for the continuation of projects” on the Trans-Canada, he said.

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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