Trans-Canada Highway improvements completed at Hoffman's Bluff

News Release

December 12, 2016 – Kamloops, British Columbia

Construction is now finished on three more kilometres of upgrades that will improve safety and reliability on the Trans-Canada Highway, announced the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and the Honourable Todd Stone, British Columbia Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

The second phase of the Pritchard to Hoffman's Bluff project has been completed.  Work involved straightening and four-laning the highway, improving accesses, and adding median barriers, wider paved shoulders and rumble strips. An adjoining 2.8 kilometres were upgraded under the first phase of the Pritchard to Hoffman's Bluff project that opened to traffic in July 2015. This section of Highway 1 is located approximately 40 kilometres east of Kamloops and, in the past, has had a higher than average collision rate.

Throughout the design and construction of both phases of the project, the Province worked closely with the Secwepemc Nation, addressing any environmental concerns and collaborating together to minimize the impacts of construction and preserve culturally significant sites along the corridor. A construction agreement was also required before work took place through the Neskonlith Indian Band's reserve near Hoffman's Bluff.

Since 2001, the provincial and federal governments have invested or committed more than $980 million on the Trans-Canada Highway between Kamloops and the Alberta border to improve reliability and to upgrade the highway to a modern, 100 kilometres/h, four-lane standard. Completed improvements have added over 60 kilometres of four lanes to the Trans-Canada Highway, increasing four-laning along the corridor by close to 20%.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is committed to supporting projects that make highways safer and more efficient for residents, visitors and businesses. Facilitating the movement of commercial goods to market will stimulate economic growth, help grow the middle class and foster long-term prosperity for Canadian communities."
The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"The Pritchard to Hoffman's Bluff project is rooted in partnerships with First Nations communities along the corridor and the Government of Canada. Because of this approach we have been able to complete a substantial improvement that will help ensure this part of Highway 1 is safe, reliable and efficient for everyone who uses it, including residents, tourists and commercial drivers."
The Honourable Todd Stone
British Columbia Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure

"Sœásca the original Secwépemctsin name for Hoffman's Bluff is a significant cultural site, through research, cultural monitoring, archaeology, and mitigation the site was protected during the highway widening, the community mandate was to ensure safe passage and protection of the site. The cultural legacy from Monte Creek to Hoffman's Bluff, basically is now rewritten from the information that came about, it accounts our historical presence on the land and ongoing connection to these lands, for the many cultural areas, fishing stations, harvesting areas, tool making sites, burial landforms, trails along the Trans-Canada highway. The Adams Lake, Neskonlith, Little Shuswap Lake, Shuswap and Splatsin bands are working collectively on the TCH-1 corridor with MoTI which ensures continued direct involvement in all levels including cultural and habitat protection for fisheries and wildlife."
Chief Judy Wilson
Neskonlith Indian Band

Quick Facts

  • During construction, approximately 330,000 cubic metres of rock was excavated at Hoffman’s Bluff – enough to fill more than 130 Olympic-size swimming pools.
  • The total cost of both phases of the Pritchard to Hoffman’s Bluff project is $61.6 million. The Government of Canada is contributing up to a maximum of $26.9 million through the Building Canada Fund – Major Infrastructure Component. The Government of British Columbia is investing $34.7 million for this highway safety improvement.
  • Under the federal New Building Canada Fund, a series of eight Highway 1 improvement projects have been jointly supported by the governments of Canada and British Columbia, which include:
    • Malahat Village Four Laning
    • Admirals Road/McKenzie Avenue Interchange
    • Highway 1 and 216 St Interchange
    • Lower Lynn Corridor Improvements
    • Hoffman’s Bluff to Chase Creek Four Laning
    • Salmon Arm West Four Laning
    • Illecillewaet Four Laning
    • North Fork Bridge replacement and Four Laning

Associated Links

Contacts

Brook Simpson
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
613-219-0149
Brook.Simpson@Canada.ca

Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
media@tc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
250-356-8241

Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to e-news or stay connected through RSS, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr to keep up to date on the latest from Transport Canada.

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