Contract awarded for permanent Coquihalla repairs; RFP issued for Trans Canada through Fraser Canyon

MERRITT — The province says it will soon begin permanent repairs to the Coquihalla Highway and the Trans Canada through the Fraser Canyon after last year’s devastating floods.

An atmospheric river that formed over southern B.C. last November produced record rainfall, leading to torrential runoff events that destroyed large sections of both major highways.

Temporary repairs allowed traffic through in December and more work has been underway on the routes since then.

In a news release issued Thursday (June 16), the Ministry of Transportation has announced a contract to KEA5 — a joint venture of Peter Kiewit and Sons and Emil Anderson Construction — to return four-lane traffic to three sections of the Coquihalla:

• Bottletop Bridges, 50 km south of Merritt
• Juliet Bridges, three km south of Bottletop
• Jessica Bridges, 48 km south of Juliet

Work on all three sections is expected to be complete by winter.

In addition, the province has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for completing permanent repairs to three sections of Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon:

• Falls Creek Bridge, 55 km south of Spences Bridge
• Tank Hill Crossing, 23 km south of Spences Bridge
• Nicomen River Bridge, 19 km south of Spences Bridge

The RFP will close on Sept. 14, with the contract expected to be awarded shortly thereafter.

As for Highway 8 between Spences Bridge and Merritt, which was also heavily damaged by the flooding, the ministry says good progress has been made.

While the event washed out 25 sections of Highway 8, temporary repairs have been completed at 18 locations and have begun at another two sections. Work on the five remains locations is being planned for the near future.