News Projects Roads & Paving
Rehabilitation project begins for landslide-affected roads in B.C.

CARIBOO, B.C. – A $538 million provincial investment will help restore and stabilize two stretches of highway in the Cariboo, B.C. region after previous landslide activity.

This includes a north-south artery of Highway 97, north of Quesnel at Cottonwood Hill. This part of the project is estimated to cost $335 million.

Additionally, a segment of Blackwater Road at Knickerbocker Road is set to receive realignment and reinforcement repairs, in addition to preventative measures against future incidents. Funding for this part of the project sits at $203 million.

Both projects comprise the first two ventures of the province’s Cariboo Road Recovery Projects program, repairing the areas were affected by the significant slow-moving landslide and washout activity in 2020 and 2021.

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming said the restoration projects will incorporate new technology and designs in order to address stability and infrastructure gaps in the area, with solutions built for resilience to changing weather patterns.

“Restoring safe and reliable highways and roads in the Cariboo supports vital services and connections for people in the region,” Fleming said in a press release. “With weather patterns changing as part of our new climate reality, building infrastructure that withstands extreme weather in the long term will keep people safe and maintain critical goods movement corridors across the province.”

Preparatory work is currently underway at both sites, including environmental investigations, geotechnical investigations and soil and water analysis. Following this process, construction is set to begin next year.