A $7.8-million contract has been awarded to Cantex-Okanagan Construction Ltd. of Penticton to complete a major four-lane expansion of Highway 97.
The 4.3 kilometres of new four-lane construction is part of the Cariboo Connector Phase 2 Program.
Approximately 4.3 kilometres of Highway 97 from 74 Mile to 76 Mile will be expanded, to tie together the Stormy and 70 Mile North sections that were completed in the fall of 2013.
Once this section is completed, the result will be a continuous section of four-lane highway approximately 32 kilometres in length extending from just north of the 70 Mile House to roughly six kilometres south of the District of 100 Mile House.
“The Cariboo Connector program is vital for our region,” says Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett.
“This four-lane project will help our commercial truckers safely transport goods, make it easier for industry to transport heavy equipment, improve safety for residents and tourists visiting our region, and relieve congestion on the only north-south highway in the Cariboo.”
The work is underway and scheduled to be completed in October 2015.