B.C. has opened new westbound lanes on the Trans-Canada Highway through Kicking Horse Canyon, essentially concluding Phase 4 of the work on the four-lane divided highway.
Construction is pausing for the winter. When it resumes in the spring, final elements such as permanent line markings and wildlife fences will be competed, and the posted speed limit of 80 km/h will increase to 100 km/h.
Three previous phases of work on this section of Highway 1 have transformed 21 kilometers of “narrow, winding two-lane highway” into a modern four-lane design, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says. The most recent phase focused on the most difficult 4.8 kilometers.
(Photo: B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure)
“The challenge of this work has been substantial and has involved significant traffic disruptions ranging from 20-minute stoppages to overnight closures and even multi-day closures during off-peak shoulder season,” the ministry adds. “The ‘substantial completion’ milestone brings an end to these disruptions as the contractor, Kicking Horse Canyon Constructors, shuts down construction for the winter.”
More than $600 million was invested in the project.
Up to 30% of the traffic on the highway consists of commercial vehicles, while close to 10,000 vehicles a day travel the route in the summer.
