(Image Credit: Government of British Columbia)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

ROAD CONSTRUCTION

Cost increase, delays to highway four-laning through Chase draws the ire of former Transportation Minister

May 2, 2020 | 3:02 PM

CHASE, B.C — A former BC Transportation Minister, and current MLA says the continuation of a four-laning Trans Canada Highway project in the Chase area has been a long time coming.

With the BC Government announcing work will re-start on the Trans Canada construction project, Kamloops South Thompson MLA Todd Stone says it shouldn’t have been put on hold in the first place.

“What we’re seeing here today is a dramatic reduction in scope, we’re getting less highway, three years late, for $61 million more than what the original budget had cost.”

According to the Kamloops-area MLA, the project was originally announced in 2016 when he was the Transportation Minister under the previous B.C Liberal government. The first plan was to spend $199 million over three phases, but when the province switched to NDP leadership, construction was halted as the current BC Government made adjustments.

On Friday, Transportation Minister Claire Trevena announced that the tender has been issued for Phase Two of the four-laning project- a road section spanning from the Chase Creek Road to Chase West. However, Stone says this continuation of four-laning won’t be the same as the original design.

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“This project that has been tendered will provide fewer kilometres of four-laning than was originally planned. The design replaces a couple full access interchanges with protected T-intersections, which are still safe but provide a much less flexible series of access options on and off the highway,” he says, “Of course the project overall is $61 million dollars more expensive than before, and three months behind schedule.”

Stone says the delays and price changes stem from changing who can work on the project, and material costs inflating with the 3 year wait time.

The now $260.3 million project uses a Community Benefits Agreement, which prioritizes jobs for locals, Indigenous people and women. Once the contract is awarded through open bidding, work is expected to begin later in the summer of 2020.

A map of the Phase Two section of the four-laning project through Chase. (Image Credit: BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure)

The Ministry of Transportation says the Chase four-laning project involves widening a total of 4.9 km of Highway 1, alongside safety improvements west of Chase.

Work on this section includes 3.3 km of highway widening with concrete median barriers, upgrades to highway intersections and frontage roads, along with a pedestrian underpass. With this plan, a grade separated pedestrian crossing, and multi-use pathway will be constructed to link a portion of the Neskonlith Indian Reserve to the Village of Chase.

However, Stone notes that a 5 kilometre stretch of the highway that falls within Neskonlith Indian Band land (R2) is not included in the revised construction schedule for the overall project. He claims in the previous design, that section running through the reserve was slated to be included with Phase One, but with the current construction schedule, it’s not.

“So we’ll have four-laning right up to Hoffman’s Bluff, as is the case today, there will then be a 5 kilometre chunk of two lanes, which will then open up again to a short four-lane section.” Stone says, “I continue to stay in contact with Chief (Judy) Wilson, and from what I understand, she’s as perplexed as anyone else is as to why the negotiations with her community around the design of the highway through Neskonlith reserve lands has ground to a halt.”

Neskonlith Chief / Kukpi7 Judy Wilson says the 5 km stretch wasn’t included on the current provincial construction schedule because the area is federal reserve land, and the band is still working through the appropriate consultation and planning with federal and provincial governments.

“The province has been working with us on the process for it, but Neskonlith – we just want to make sure all the CP holders along the highway, and the band members overall are well informed, and have all the information and appropriate studies that are required to make informed decisions when that time comes.”

When projects involve the federal government, Wilson says it usually takes a bit longer. In this case, Neskonlith has also been working on a quarter-wide collective agreement with bands from Monte Creek, to the Alberta border.

Wilson says times have changed, and now Indigenous communities have a stronger say in what sort of projects on their lands are approved.

“If you ask me what’s the difference in this process today compared to even 10 years ago, or 20 years ago, is that our bands are actually involved,” explains Wilson, “By doing the heritage studies, we’re involved doing environmental studies, we’ve been doing all kinds of different studies along the highway to ensure we make informed decisions. And also in regards to our self determination, where our communities will decide on what’s the best path forward.”

Acknowledging that the process could be improved, Wilson says it would be with further implementation of the U.N Declaration on Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, along with the Lands, Territory, and Natural Resources article.

She notes that the project isn’t just a simple widening- there’s plenty of safety factors to consider alongside any potential impacts to businesses and community members that are near the construction zone.