The Province of B.C. has announced that Peter's Bros. Construction Ltd., a Penticton based company, has been awarded the $3.94 million paving contract for Second Avenue (or Highway 16) from McClymont Bridge to the BC Ferries Terminal, Ridley Island Road and the Port Edward Arterial.
The 4.3 km project was announced last year and the City of Prince Rupert will also be partnering with the province to take advantage of the Provincial Highway repaving project's timeliness and re-pave Third Avenue West, with a cost to the city of approximately $500,000.
Work is scheduled for the projects to begin in April and end in July. The projects will be completed consecutively and not at the same time.
"I had the opportunity to visit Prince Rupert last October and announce our commitment to this project with Mayor [Lee] Brain. These roads serve as Prince Rupert's main thoroughfare, so it was important for the ministry and the city to make these improvements a priority," said B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone.The mayor added the opportunistic timing is fortunate for the city.
"We saw the opportunity to achieve economies of scale and save money on the much-needed repaving of Third Avenue by partnering with the Provincial Highway repaving contract," said Brain.
"Bundling the two projects creates efficiencies for both the city and the province. We look forward to seeing these plans come to fruition in 2017."
The Third Avenue project is set to eliminate the street's numerous potholes by creating a level grade streetscape.
The Second Avenue project is part of part of the provincial government's B.C. On the Move plan, a 10-year transportation plan to improve the province's transportation network.