$14.9M road repairs coming to Malahat highway
The B.C. government has awarded a Nanaimo-based company a $14.9-million contract to repair the Malahat highway after sections were seriously damaged during storms in November.
Windley Contracting is expected to begin repairs to the highway this summer in the Malahat Tunnel Hill area of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The repairs include restoring a 50-metre stretch of the highway's northbound lane north of Finlayson Arm Road, and replacing an 80-metre long retaining wall.
Crews will also repair existing drains and ensure slope stability against future extreme rain events, according to the province.
A damaged portion of the Malahat highway is shown: Nov. 17, 2021 (Province of B.C. / Flickr)
The province says construction will take place at night whenever possible, and that warnings will be issued ahead of any traffic disruptions.
Traffic disruptions may include bringing the highway down to single-lane alternating traffic, or full closures.
Construction is expected to last about a year, until summer 2023.
"This first contract award for permanent repairs following last fall’s catastrophic flooding marks an important milestone as the province continues to build back better," said Transportation Minister Rob Fleming in a statement Thursday.
"The Malahat is a critical connection for residents, businesses, emergency services and the transportation of goods between the Mid-Island and the Capital Region," he said.
Repair work was underway on the damaged Malahat highway on Vancouver Island on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (BC Transportation/Twitter)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.