No. H058/11
For release - July 8, 2011
Creating Jobs and Building Better Transit
KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Construction is underway on a new transit centre in Kamloops, a $15.6-million project that will generate 100 jobs, and benefit B.C. families and businesses.
Cathy McLeod, Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo; Kevin Krueger, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Kamloops-South Thompson; Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar; and BC Transit vice-president and chief information officer Brian Anderson were at the construction site of the future transit centre today.
"Our government is proud to support infrastructure projects like this that will boost the economy and create jobs for Canadians," said MP McLeod. "We are pleased to be partnering with the Government of British Columbia and the City of Kamloops on this important project that will improve public transit services in Kamloops now and in the years to come."
To date, five local companies have been awarded project contracts: Middleton Petroleum Services Ltd. (Kamloops), LNB Construction Inc. (Merritt), Twin Rivers Plumbing & Heating (1985) Co. Ltd. (Kamloops), Norgaard Ready-Mix Ltd. (Kamloops) and K-Rod Steel (A Division of Varsteel Ltd.) (Kamloops).
"This is an exciting project for both families of and visitors to Kamloops," said MLA Krueger. "As our city looks ahead to the future, a modern, new transit facility will be a cornerstone in our city, encouraging more people to choose transit, making our air cleaner and our streets safer."
"Kamloops is focusing on promoting transit as an alternative mode of transportation by investing in the infrastructure needed to support it, such as the recent construction of transit exchanges at Lansdowne Village and Sydney Avenue," said Mayor Milobar. "This new facility is yet another step in the right direction."
The future transit centre will include an administration and maintenance building, seven service bays, a diesel fuelling station, wash bay and storage area. It will also double the capacity for bus parking, increasing the number of spaces from 40 to 85. The new location, which is to be completed by the fall of 2012, is adjacent to the current transit facility and will house the Kamloops Transit System for the next 25 years.
Last year, more people took transit in Kamloops, with ridership rising from over 3,312,205 rides to 3,575,648 rides in 2010-11 — nearly an eight-per-cent increase.
"Sustainable transportation is clearly a priority for Kamloops — residents decided a quarter million more times to take transit last year," said Mr. Anderson. "We are committed to working with our partners to meet the growing transit needs in the most effective and efficient way possible."
Funding for the $15.6-million Kamloops Transit Centre is provided by the Government of Canada through the Building Canada Fund, Major Infrastructure Component ($4 million), the Province of British Columbia ($6 million) and the City of Kamloops ($5.6 million).
For information on routes, schedules and fares, call Transit Info at 250-376-1216 or visit www.bctransit.com.
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