Canim-Hendrix Road will be completely repaved by the Ministry of Transportation this summer.
Cariboo Regional District director Margo Wagner of Area “H” (Forest Grove and Canim Lake) said she is excited that months of lobbying have finally paid off. She noted that the road hasn’t been repaved since she moved to Canim Lake 19 years ago.
“Canim-Hendrix has been in horrible shape. It’s like driving across railway tracks because of all the crack sealing they’ve done,” Wagner said. “Then there are the potholes, and this winter hasn’t helped with all the freeze and thaw.”
The repaving efforts will begin at Highway 97 and extend all the way to where the pavement ends at Eagle Creek Bridge, just past Eagle Creek Road. Included in the project will be three kilometres of Canim Lake Road South and several side roads, including Rainbow Road, Kokanee Road, Summit Road, Forest Grove’s frontage road and Spurway Drive.
Wagner said she has been pushing for the repaving for years, as have many of her constituents. She noted they received help from Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson, who championed their cause in Victoria and took a tour with MOTI officials down Canim-Hendrix last year. Doerkson said while he is happy to see this project moving forward, he places the credit on the CRD and the public.
“I think this is a result not only of some meetings I had with the minister last year, but also a result of combined effort on the part of CRD and residents who have shared their frustrations with the roads,” Doerkson said. “I’m glad to see this one project is getting done.”
Doerkson said he hopes this repaving is the start of a broader investment in infrastructure across the South Cariboo and rural B.C. as a whole. He noted there are several other roads in his riding that could use repaving, and he intends to keep advocating for their completion.
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“There is so much more work that needs to be done. I would like to see a larger commitment to our rural infrastructure in general,” Doerkson said. “It’s not just roads, it’s also culverts and bridges. For me it’s important it’s a whole package and we continue to advocate for more improvements.”
The exact time the work will be done on Canim-Hendrix isn’t known right now. Wagner said the contractor hired by the Ministry will be making their way north this summer and may be delayed depending on the weather. However, she is confident the work will be done before winter.
“As soon as I know I will put it in my newsletter so everybody will know, but there will be some road delays, so everyone is going to have to be patient on Canim-Hendrix,” Wagner said.
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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