Image Credit: Flickr / Government of B.C.

By James Peters

Trans Canada Twinning

MLA Milobar blasts government after major jump in Revelstoke-area highway project cost

May 23, 2019 | 3:16 PM

KAMLOOPS — The BC Liberal MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson is raising his eyebrows after the cost of a highway improvement project increased by 35 per cent in the span of about three months.

In February, the province’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced it had issued a tender for the Illecillewaet four-laning project east of Revelstoke. The project will see 42 kilometres of the Trans Canada Highway twinned and a brake check area expanded.

The February cost estimate for the project was $62.9 million, with the Government of Canada kicking in $15.5 million and the province picking up the remaining $47.4 million.

This month, the ministry announced the contract for the project was awarded to Emil Anderson Construction — but at a cost of $85.2 million. The federal government’s share has not changed.

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In a news release, the ministry said the $22.3 million increase was “escalating costs of materials, labour and the complexity of the work required.”

But MLA Peter Milobar says he believes the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) announced by the government in January is playing a part in the price hike.

“Now we see the highway project just east of here coming in at 35 per cent higher than originally planned for with the new Community Benefit Agreement,” said Milobar on CFJC’s Balance of Power. “So I think we’re just starting to see the full effects of some of these [increased spending] policies.”

The CBA is touted as a program that will deliver jobs and other training opportunities to Indigenous people, women and youth. It is administered by B.C. Infrastructure Benefits, a newly-established Crown corporation.

Milobar blames the CBA for rising costs of infrastructure projects.

“The NDP have added $13 billion in new spending on top of what was already being spent,” said Milobar. “There is no way you can do that without raising the costs for things.”