iN VIDEO: Final phase of highway construction in Kicking Horse Canyon nears end
The Kicking Horse Canyon highway’s renovations are nearing completion and will be driveable before the end of the year.
Three years after the construction began near Golden to convert this part of the Trans-Canada Highway into a modern four-lane highway, the project is set to be finished in December of 2023, according to Ministry of Transportation media release issued today, Oct. 26.
"The Trans-Canada Highway in the Kicking Horse Canyon is more than a scenic road in the mountains. It's an example of what we can accomplish when we work together," Cloverdale-Langley MP John Aldag said in the release. "Very soon, commuters will be able to drive along this newly expanded highway, allowing more people to get to where they need to go safely and efficiently,."
The work was done on five kilometres of narrow, two-lane highway has been completely transformed. People travelling through Kicking Horse Canyon are set to have a smoother, safer trip on the new four-lane, divided highway.
"Improvements through the Kicking Horse Canyon are a marvel of engineering and have earned industry awards for design and skilled construction," BC Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said in the release.
"Everyone working on this phase of the project should be very, very proud of what they've accomplished. The contractors and workers deserve our thanks for completing this challenging project in very difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions during the months of high summer heat and the bitter cold of winter."
The last part of this project focused on the new westbound lanes and the associated walls and rockfall protection. The last major concrete pour on the project and completion of the Lynk, Elk and Caribou viaducts were all completed during the recent closure of the highway in the last few weeks.
While the bigger parts of the construction project will continue during the month of November, most of it will be done leaving only some top-lift paving and finalities to be worked on in Spring of 2024.
The last phase of this project has cost over $600 million with the federal government contributing close to $215.19 million leaving the province to pay the rest.
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