Golden, British Columbia, March 28, 2019—Solid efficient transportation infrastructure is critical to connecting communities, boosting trade and tourism, and strengthening the economy and middle class.
Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Claire Trevena, B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, announced funding to upgrade 4.4 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway between Glacier National Park and the Town of Golden.
Work involves widening the stretch of highway from two lanes to four and replacing the aging Quartz Creek Bridge with a new four-lane structure. Improvements will also be made to access roads near the Quartz Creek Bridge to reduce vehicle congestion, and a new bridge will be built to replace the Wiseman Creek Culvert.
The four-laning of Highway 1 and the new Quartz Creek Bridge will improve traffic flow and increase driver safety while the replacement of the Wiseman Creek Culvert will create a safe crossing for wildlife. Once complete, tourists will be able to better navigate this section of highway as they travel between the region's stunning natural attractions, and businesses will be able to move their goods more efficiently along this vital trade corridor.
"Keeping people and goods moving smoothly is essential to helping our businesses compete and improving Canadians' quality of life. These vital improvements along Highway 1 will greatly reduce the risk of collisions and ensure residents, tourists and businesses can travel safely and efficiently through the region for years to come."
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
"This section of Highway 1 has seen a number of serious collisions over the years, and these improvements will make a big difference to safety. Widening the highway and replacing the current two-lane Quartz Creek Bridge with a four-lane structure will also improve efficiency for commercial drivers."
The Honourable Claire Trevena, BC Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
Quick facts
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The Government of Canada is contributing up to $49,924,542 to this project through the New Building Canada Fund–Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component–National and Regional Projects, while the Province of British Columbia is providing $71,502,715.
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This project will be facilitated by the Province's Community Benefits Agreement. Community benefits include job and training opportunities for people in the local area and the increased participation of apprentices and workers traditionally under-represented in the construction trades.
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Budget 2019, Investing in the Middle Class, is the federal government's plan to create more well-paying jobs, put home ownership within reach for more Canadians, help working people get the training they need to succeed, support seniors and lay the foundation for national pharmacare.
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With many municipalities across Canada facing serious infrastructure deficits, Budget 2019 includes a one-time top-up of $2.2 billion to the federal Gas Tax Fund to help address short-term priorities in municipalities and First Nations communities.
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Budget 2019 builds on the Investing in Canada Plan, under which the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in community infrastructure across the country.
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More than $10.1 billion of this funding is supporting trade and transportation projects, including $5 billion available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
