Two TransCanada Highway improvement projects near Golden come with a price tag of close to a half billion dollars.
Highway 1 will be realigned and expanded to four lanes through a four kilometre section of Kicking Horse Canyon, where crash fatality rates are three times the provincial highway average.
The work includes bridges, median barriers and widened shoulders.
As well, rock fall hazards will be reduced with retaining walls, rock catchment ditches and other measures.
The project costs are pegged at $450 million with construction beginning in 2019 and continuing for five years.
And almost $20 million will be spent to four lane the highway between Donald and Forde Station Road, about 20 kilometres west of Golden.
Work starts this year and is slated for completion in 2018.
“These projects will help traffic move more safely and efficiently, communities will be better connected, and businesses can distribute their products efficiently throughout the province as well as to our ports and borders beyond,” said BC transportation minister Todd Stone in a news release.
The provincial government is providing $247 million for the road works and the federal government’s contribution is $222 million.