Travellers along Highway 97 near Williams Lake will not experience delays due to construction during the July long weekend.
Presently there are two highway improvement projects underway — one at Williams Lake Indian Band south of the city and one within city limits from Carson Drive north.
Earl McLeod, site superintendent with Cantex-Okanagan Construction Ltd. said crews shut down at the four-laning project near Williams Lake Indian Band on Thursday, June 28 at 2 p.m. and will be back at work on Tuesday, July 3.
“With the Stampede in town this weekened it’s great to be able to leave the highway clear,” McLeod told the Tribune Friday.
The project is on target to be completed this year, after being delayed with last summer’s wildfires, he added.
Read More: 2017 wildfires delay Highway 97 four-laning project
“A lot of our work looks like nothing’s getting done but we have been progressing since May 7,” McLeod said. “We had some six and seven metre excavations to do, which were huge. We’ve been working with a 47-person crew and will be up to a 55-person crew very soon.”
#BCHwy97 #williamslake HWY 97 Corridor projects will be wrapped up for the long weekend around Williams Lake. Construction will resume again after the weekend. Please obey signage through the areas. Have a safe weekend. Happy Canada Day!! pic.twitter.com/9GTnAx8RoM
— MoT Cariboo District (@TranBC_Cariboo) June 29, 2018
Gerald Fluttert, site supervisor and project manager for Peterson Contracting Ltd. with the Carson and Toop intersection upgrade said part of the contract with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure stipulates that work is halted during long weekends.
“We quit yesterday and had to get a variance for some retaining wall work crews were doing today, although it didn’t interrupt traffic,” Fluttert said Friday.
Progress continues on schedule and Fluttert said crews should be ready to pave North Broadway Avenue by the end of July and into early August.
Read more: Anticipated completion summer 2019 for Highway 97 intersection improvements
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