Feds, B.C. earmark $121.4M for work on challenging 4.4-kilometre stretch of Trans-Canada Highway

The current Quartz Creek Bridge west of Golden, B.C. The bridge will be upgraded from two to four lanes. PHOTO: Government of B.C.

GOLDEN, B.C.—Major upgrades are coming to a picturesque section of the Trans-Canada Highway in eastern British Columbia.

The federal and provincial governments announced $121.4 million in funding late last week to pay for a four-laning project outside Golden, B.C.

The infrastructure dollars will cover upgrades to a 4.4-kilometre segment of highway between the town and Glacier National Park, as well as the replacement of the aging Quartz Creek Bridge. Tourists frequent the otherwise secluded region at the western edge of the Rocky Mountain Trench.

“This section of Highway 1 has seen a number of serious collisions over the years, and these improvements will make a big difference to safety,” Claire Trevena, the province’s minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, said in a statement. “Widening the highway and replacing the current two-lane Quartz Creek Bridge with a four-lane structure will also improve efficiency for commercial drivers.”

Along with the widening work, the plan includes other improvements around the Quartz Creek Bridge designed to reduce congestion. The Wiseman Creek Culvert, for instance, will be replaced with a bridge.

The federal government has assigned $49.9 million to the project, while B.C. has committed $71.5 million. Like other recent infrastructure jobs, the province plans to award the contract for the project using its controversial Community Benefits Agreement framework.