Update on $20-Million Funding for Rural Roads
VICTORIA – British Columbia is on track to complete $20 million in targeted upgrades to more than 200 Forest Service roads that serve as crucial transportation links, improving travel and safety conditions for residents in about 70 rural communities, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.
“For many rural communities, Forest Service roads are a vital part of the local road network,” said Bell. “We’ve already spent $14 million since we started work this spring and we’re well on our way to meet our $20 million commitment by the end of the fiscal year. In partnership with the Government of Canada, we’re going to see further travel and safety improvements over the next couple of years.”
Over the past year, both the Government of British Columbia and the Government of Canada injected new funding to stimulate economic development and improve travel conditions on Forest Service roads that serve as crucial transportation links to rural communities and recreation sites.
First announced by Premier Campbell at the 2008 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, the Ministry of Forests and Range is providing $20 million over two years. In April, the federal government, as part of the Canada Economic Action Plan, committed $10 million for Forest Service Road capital projects. This incremental $30 million in targeted funding is in addition to the Ministry of Forests and Range’s $20 million annual capital and operating budget for Forest Service roads.
Work began this past spring and will continue through the 2011 construction season. Works includes bridge repairs and replacements, ditching and culvert repairs, clearing brush to improve sight lines, removing loose rock from slope faces, new road safety signage, and road widening, grading and resurfacing.
“Communities have told us they value the economic and social opportunities that come from having a stronger road network,” said Bill Bennett, Minister of Community and Rural Development. “Whether it’s accessing health care, exploring new mineral opportunities, or opening new regions to tourism, the benefits of this investment will strengthen the province as a whole.”
British Columbia’s 55,000-kilometre network of Forest Service roads is bigger than the provincial highway system. Road maintenance funding is used to improve safety on Forest Service roads, which includes the establishment of radio protocols, speed enforcement through expanded use of radar guns, and the expansion of the Vehicle Identification Plates Program.
