News Projects Roads & Paving
B.C.’s Highway 97 improvements to increase road users’ safety

Anticipated to begin in August of this year and finish in fall 2022, a section of British Columbia’s Highway 97 will undergo construction to increase the safety of all road users.

The B.C. highway, which is just east of Quesnel, will be widened by 1.1 km, and will also see improvements at two key intersections.

At the intersection of Highway 97 and Racing Road/Dragon Hill Road, which has a historically high collision rate, traffic signals will be installed to not only increase safety, but to also provide better access to the local road network and neighbouring businesses.

At the intersection of Highway 97 and Quesnel Hydraulic Road, the southbound left-turn lane will allow more space for vehicles to slow down without impeding highway traffic, and will therefore make it safer for drivers to turn off and onto the highway. To further improve safety at this intersection, left turns onto the highway southbound will be restricted.

Additionally, a center median will be installed along Highway 97 between the two intersections to separate opposing lanes of traffic and to better define the lanes when visibility and weather conditions are poor. New LED streetlights will be installed, as well as new drainage to remove surface water efficiently.

The Government of British Columbia is contributing CAD $11.3 million to this CAD $19-million project, while the Government of Canada is contributing up to CAD $7.7 million through the New Building Canada Fund – Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component – National and Regional Projects.

To learn more about the Highway 97 Quesnel intersection improvements, please visit: www.gov.bc.ca/highway97racingroad. For more information on federal infrastructure funding, please visit: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca.