The government said in a statement on Wednesday construction on the TransCanada Highway should resume near the end of the year (File Photo. Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

TRANSCANADA TWINNING

Province says TransCanada twinning is a priority; B.C. Liberals push timeline

Feb 19, 2020 | 5:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — Construction to twin the TransCanada Highway from Kamloops to Alberta started with the stretch from Hoffman’s Bluff to Pritchard, with the first phase finishing in 2012.

It got as far as the end of Hoffman’s Bluff en route to Chase. But since the provincial election in 2017, when the NDP took power, no progress has been made.

“The NDP has been talking about accelerating the TransCanada Highway improvement for the last, almost three years,” said Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone, the former transportation minister. “We haven’t seen any construction activity in the last three years.”

Stone says the stretch from Hoffman’s Bluff to Jade Mountain, east of Chase, was ready to be tendered in the fall of 2017.

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During Tuesday’s budget announcement, Finance Minister Carole James mentioned $22.9 billion worth of capital projects, such as the twinning of the TransCanada, but there were no firm commitments.

Transportation Minister Claire Trevena was not available for an on-camera interview, but her office released a statement:

“The ministry is proceeding with the Chase Creek Road to Chase West segment. We expect this project will be tendered in the coming months, with construction expected to begin later this year,” reads the emailed statement. “For the Hoffman’s Bluff to Chase Creek Road segment to proceed, the ministry will need to acquire land from the Neskonlith Indian Band. This is a very detailed process requiring thoughtful consideration for both parties, and the ministry will take the time that is needed to ensure a fair agreement is reached.”

The ministry understands this will further impact timelines, but Stone feels it should have happened sooner.

“These projects don’t happen overnight, but once you get the green light from the political masters of the day and the tender is put out there, the tender process should only take a matter of months, so I certainly have my fingers crossed,” noted Stone.

The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115, which represents road construction workers in the region, says workers haven’t been impacted by delays. They are working on projects elsewhere around the province, but the widening project would bring them closer to home.

Business representative with the union, Brian Lefebvre, says the biggest benefit might come to the laid off forestry workers.

“If you look at a regular highway job, you’ve got crews of 25 to 30. In the case of the Chase job with all the rock work, it might take a few more people,” said Lefebvre. “We’ve done a reach out to the Steelworkers in the forest industry to try to attract those people that have transferrable skills that would need either minimal training or a lot of training to get them into the pool of people available.”