July 9, 2010
Major Road Work Completed Ahead of Schedule

CRANBROOK – Two road work improvements including Highway 93/95 between Fort Steele and Wasa as well as for Highway 3 through Cranbrook, from Jim Smith Lake Road to 3rd St. NW, have now been completed ahead of schedule.

“The completion of these projects and ahead of schedule will make a big difference for local residents, truckers, and tourists, especially with the start of the busy summer season,” says Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett. “People making their way north of Fort Steele will now have a much safer ride.”

"I'm pleased that in my constituency, these projects have not only strengthened our infrastructure but also the economy, through job creation, providing immediate economic stimulus and support for the East Kootenay economy at a time when it's most needed,” says Kootenay-Columbia MP Jim Abbott.

Approximately 13.5 km of Highway 93/95 have now been repaved, starting 2 km south of Fort Steele Bridge to 8 km south of Wasa Lake Park Drive South. The Wardner-Fort Steele Road intersection has also been upgraded to include a left turn lane and paved shoulders. New turning lanes have been added on the highway at the Buckman Road and Holmes Road intersections as well as improvements to the turn-off at the Campbell Rest Area. In addition, Highway 3 through Cranbrook, from Jim Smith Lake Road to 3rd Street NW, has been resurfaced.

All the roads are open to traffic with all work completed ahead of schedule.

The federal contribution to this project comes from the $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which provides funding to provincial, territorial and municipal construction-ready infrastructure projects. Since March 2009, almost 400 projects have received a total federal investment of over $490 million under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund across British Columbia.

Since October 2008, over $5.3 billion in infrastructure projects have been announced across British Columbia, which are estimated to create more than 34,000 jobs over the life of the projects.

Visit Bill’s website at www.billbennettmla.bc.ca

Visit Jim’s website at www.jimabbott.ca

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