The provincial government is not willing to go as far as guaranteeing that the North-South Interconnector in Quesnel will be built following the next election.
The BC United Party made that promise late last week.
The NDP’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says that it has completed a preliminary design for the route at a cost of 700 million dollars and “will continue to monitor the performance of Highway 97.”
The proposed project includes the replacement of the Quesnel River Bridge and the Quesnel Rail Overhead Bridge with a single four-lane structure, as well as constructing a roundabout and 3.7 kilometres of highway.
Right now though, the Ministry is currently just finishing the design work for a rehabilitation of the Quesnel Rail Overhead Bridge.
That will include a new bridge deck and some minor structural repairs, but not a new bridge.
The Ministry also said that changing weather patterns have contributed to slides and road washouts in the Cariboo region and that there were Cariboo Road Recovery Projects being undertaken to address the transportation impact at these 10 locations.
It added that “with other essential work under the Cariboo Recovery Program happening, the ministry is ensuring the North-South Connector project remains aligned with current and future works planned in the area so that the Ministry can move forward with it when conditions allow.”
