The Federal and Provincial governments teamed up on Saturday to announce $35-million in funding to twin a stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway east of Revelstoke.
David Wilks, the MP for Kootenay-Columbia, and Greg Kyllo, the MLA for Shuswap, joined Mayor Mark McKee, for the Saturday afternoon announcement.
"We are proud to invest in this transportation project. It will increase commuter safety and improve the flow of traffic to and from Revelstoke along Highway 1," said Wilks in a news release.
The project will see 2.5 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway twinned around the Illecillewaet brake check 40 kilometres east of Revelstoke. The work will also see the brake check station double in capacity, and more exit and entrance lanes added to make it safer for trucks pulling into and out of the brake check.
The move will also provide a safe area to park vehicles during avalanche closures.
"We are pleased to be working with our federal partners to deliver on the commitment to increase the number of four lane sections on Highway 1 as well as making safety improvements to a local brake check area," said Kyllo. "These improvements will ensure truck traffic flows as efficiently as possible along this route, and increased capacity of Highway 1 will ensure the continued movement of goods and people along this important corridor."
The federal government is contributing $15.5 million to the project, while the province will be responsible for the rest.
The federal portion is from the New Building Canada Plan, while the provincial portion is from a 10-year commitment to spend $650 million twinning the Trans-Canada Highway that was announced in 2012.
There was no word as of press time as to when the work will begin.
The Review did not attend the announcement, which came on Saturday afternoon of a long-weekend.
The announcement – coming a day before the official start of the Federal election campaign – was part of a flurry of announcements by the Conservative government that saw them announce billions in spending before the writ was dropped. MP Wilks, who was in Revelstoke Friday morning for a separate announcement, had to return from the East Kootenays to announce the spending.