GOLDEN, B.C. – Crews working on the Kicking Horse Canyon project have reached a major milestone.
The first concrete girders that will support the bridge deck have been installed for the new Sheep Bridge on Highway 1 in the Kicking Horse Canyon as work continues on improvements to the highway east of Golden.
“This is another major step towards completion as we transform this important corridor in the Kicking Horse Canyon area,” said Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure, during a tour of the project. “Sheep Bridge and other elements of the new alignment are part of modernizing the highway along one of B.C’s most rugged and scenic routes. These major improvements will make travel better and safer for people who live and work in the region. Anyone who travels this route will benefit.”
Sheep Bridge is the furthest west of several structures under construction for the project’s fourth phase. The phase includes the realignment and widening of 4.8 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway through the canyon. Construction is scheduled to be complete in winter 2023-24.
Improvements include a new four-lane alignment that will have a centre median barrier to divide opposing lanes of traffic for safety. The highway shoulders will be widened to ministry standards to accommodate cyclists.
Officials noted to allow work to proceed safely and on schedule, the contractor has implemented an extended closure of the Trans-Canada Highway until the end of November. Through traffic on Highway 1 between Golden to Castle Junction is being routed via highways 93 and 95, adding up to 1.5 hours of travel time. Roadside signs provide advance notification of the closure and alternative routes will have signage.
The $601-million project is cost-shared, with the federal government contributing as much as $215 million and the B.C. government providing the remaining $386 million.
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