Upgrades and enhancements to key freeway relaxation areas are deliberate this summer time as a part of a multi-year plan to enhance security, accessibility, and facilities alongside British Columbia highways.
The province is supporting enhancements at relaxation areas by a brand new $100-million Security Relaxation Space Enchancment Program over the following 9 years. Of that, $28 million shall be spent over the following three years to assist the trucking trade and different vacationers.
“Relaxation areas are a vital a part of the freeway system and assist freeway security by decreasing the chance of accidents associated to fatigue or the necessity for individuals to cease on freeway shoulders,” mentioned Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure. “By offering higher services for individuals to take breaks from driving, these enhancements to relaxation areas will assist make touring by our province safer and extra snug for business truck drivers and everybody who makes use of the freeway community.”
In 2023, enhancements equivalent to new lighting and signage, updating playground tools, higher accessibility, and enhanced relaxation space services, grounds and picnic areas, are deliberate for:
- Freeway 1 Arbutus relaxation space on the Malahat Freeway north of Victoria;
- Freeway 1 Kamloops Lake relaxation space west of Kamloops;
- Freeway 1 Skuppa relaxation space south of Lytton;
- Freeway 97 Mile 80 relaxation space north of Fort St John; and
- Freeway 16 Cluculz Lake relaxation space east of Vanderhoof.
As well as, as many as 30 seasonal college students shall be employed to offer landscaping and enhanced upkeep of relaxation areas, protecting a number of freeway corridors all through the province.
Key places for trucking
Longer-term planning, engineering and design work can also be underway on substantial enhancements at a number of key places that can particularly assist the trucking trade, together with:
- Freeway 1 Kamloops brake verify west of Kamloops;
- Freeway 1 Columbia relaxation space west of Revelstoke; and
- Freeway 5 Clapperton brake verify north of Merritt.
Authorities can even discover choices for business automobile entry and parking to be constructed alongside Freeway 1 close to Golden. Planning, engineering and preliminary web site growth will begin this yr.
Secure stopping locations
“This funding is particularly necessary for business drivers who work lengthy hours and require protected and accessible stopping locations, to allow them to be targeted and well-rested whereas they’re on the highway,” mentioned Dave Earle, president, B.C. Trucking Affiliation. “The extra services which might be accessible to massive business vehicles, the extra drivers will cease and recharge when they should.”
Deliberate enhancements can even embody upgrades to charging stations for electrical autos on the Anarchist relaxation space alongside Freeway 3 and the Wire Cache relaxation space on Freeway 5. Quicker charging stations assist the additional growth of the province’s “electrical freeway” and assist meet the Province’s Clear B.C. Roadmap dedication for 100% of auto gross sales to be zero-emission by 2035.
“Our authorities is happy that British Columbia has one of many largest public charging networks in Canada,” mentioned George Heyman, minister of setting and local weather change technique. “B.C. is a pacesetter on local weather motion, and we are going to proceed to prioritize these sorts of investments. We’re working to broaden this community and make it simpler for individuals to cost their electrical autos and reduce B.C.’s transportation emissions.”
Electrical automobile charging stations
The province can also be reviewing and updating its relaxation space administration plan to judge present wants and assist information future enchancment initiatives throughout the provincial freeway community. The provincial authorities is accountable for greater than 200 relaxation areas all through B.C., of which 86% are wheelchair accessible and 69% can accommodate business autos as massive as and together with semi-trailers. Roughly 13% of relaxation areas have electrical automobile charging stations and 6% have a wi-fi community.
Since 2017, the province has invested roughly $28.5 million into greater than 60 websites, together with the development of latest relaxation areas and enhancements to present areas, equivalent to bettering services, accessibility, lighting and signage, in addition to the set up of electrical automobile charging stations.
