Trans-Canada Highway improvements in the Shuswap on the way

Improvements to the Trans-Canada Highway between Ford and Tappen Valley roads are set to get underway this fall.

Emil Anderson Construction Inc. was awarded the $128-million contract to widen the two-lane highway to four lanes and replace the aging Tappen overpass, as well as construct frontage roads and a commercial and passenger vehicle pullout.

Frontage roads are the access roads that connect side roads and driveways, and consolidating them ensures there is only one highway access.

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The province said that a portion of work includes a stretch of highway running through Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw, formerly Little Shuswap Lake Band Indian Reserve No. 5.

This will enhance connections within the Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw community and improve safe access on and off the Trans-Canada Highway.

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Funding for the $243-million project was announced in July 2021, with the provincial government providing $161 million and the federal government contributing approximately $82 million.

There will be traffic disruption during construction, which is expected to be complete in 2026, though the province said the aim is to make them minimal.