Fieldwork kicks off for Kicking Horse Canyon project

GOLDEN, B.C. — As the COVID-19 crisis continues, infrastructure work rolls on near Golden, B.C.

Crews have begun investigative fieldwork in the Kicking Horse Canyon that will take several weeks to prepare for significant highway improvements scheduled to start later this year.

In late April crews began collecting physical data in the Dart Creek area, as well as other locations near the highway alignment. This fieldwork will be used for the ongoing engineering design of the four-laning improvements to the Trans-Canada Highway through the canyon.

The province noted crews will maintain safe physical distances and use personal protective equipment. In addition, they will work to minimize any environmental disturbance. Minimal traffic impacts are anticipated as this work is carried out.

B.C.’s provincial health officer (PHO) has told employers to take all necessary precautions to minimize the risks of COVID-19 transmission and illness to themselves and their employees. This includes ensuring workers maintain physical distance with a minimum of two metres (6.5 feet) apart from each other, both in the course of their duties as well as during breaks. Anyone exhibiting COVID-19-like symptoms will be directed to self-isolate at home for at least 10 days.

A design-build contract for the fourth and final phase of the Kicking Horse Canyon Project is expected to be awarded in late summer or early fall 2020, with initial construction to begin in the fall. It will bring the last remaining 4.8 kilometres of narrow, winding two-lane highway up to a modern, four-lane, 100 km/h standard.

The project is one of the first to be delivered under the province’s Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), which has been a source of controversy in the construction community. The province stated the agreement prioritizes hiring local workers, Indigenous people, women and other under-represented groups and provides more training opportunities for apprentices so they can complete their certification. The province added the CBA ensures competitive, transparent wages with fair working conditions that foster a workplace free of discrimination and harassment and honours the cultural differences of all involved on the project.