By Adam Berls

interconnector

Quesnel hoping to make case to province about benefits of interconnector

Feb 26, 2024 | 2:29 PM

QUESNEL — A proposed by-pass project for Highway 97 in Quesnel has hit a roadblock and local officials in the city are hoping to get things moving. Quesnel City Council will be giving a presentation in May-June 2024 to the province on why the project needs to move forward.

If you have ever driven through the City of Quesnel, you’ll know that Highway 97 flows right through downtown. It crosses eleven major intersections, causing congestion and multiple collisions. The good news is that there is a proposed project, called the North-South Interconnector, that would act as a by-pass and alleviate these concerns, and this project is of high importance to the Mayor and Council. Mayor Ron Paull says that it “is the most important file on my plate at the moment.”

The bad news about the project is that it has hit a roadblock. A preliminary design was completed in 2020, but very little has happened since, with the province saying that the project “is not currently funded to advance to beyond this phase”, but that the Ministry of Transportation “will continue to monitor the performance of Highway 97.” MLA for Cariboo North, Coralee Oakes, wants the government to step up.

“We are just waiting for Premier Eby to demonstrate that he cares about what is happening in the North and to make that critical investment.” – Coralee Oakes, MLA for Cariboo North (BCU)

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The proposed route includes:

• Two new structures to replace the Quesnel River Bridge and the Quesnel Rail Crossing Bridge
• Two new signalized intersections that would connect to the existing Highway 97 alignment, including Front St. and the Moffat Bridge Approach

The North-South Interconnector was recommended as a long-term priority in the 2018 Quesnel Transportation Study. The Interconnector would increase safety and significantly reduce congestion, as commercial vehicles traveling through the region would be able to avoid the downtown core. The project is supported by the City of Quesnel and was the preferred option of the community during public engagement.

The government says that project will proceed as priorities and funding allow, but no funding was allocated in the 2024 provincial budget. In a statement to CKPG News, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says that they remain committed to the interconnector, however, the unprecedented landslides and flooding in the region have meant we must first address urgent repairs first. The Ministry also says that last fall, they “completed an enhanced inspection of the Quesnel River Bridge that determined rehabilitation would not be required for at least five years.”

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X: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com