B.C. highway flood repair costs expected to balloon to $1 billion
Global News
B.C.'s Transportation Minister is expecting the total price tag for flooding repairs to B.C. highways to balloon to close to one billion dollars.
B.C.’s Transportation Ministry is expecting the price tag for repairs to major highways damaged during the November 2021 floods to grow to approximately $1 billion.
According to Transportation Minister Rob Fleming, more than $250 million has been sunk into repairing highways one, five and eight so far.
The atmospheric rivers caused widespread flooding and massive destruction to the Coquihalla, the Fraser Canyon and Highway 8.
“We’re at about a quarter of a billion dollars in expenditures so far,” said Fleming.
“All of those highways are open, the Coquihalla is back to four-lane capacity for the entire duration. We had about 430 damaged sites on those highways and other areas across the province.”
Fleming says the pace of the temporary repairs is a cause for optimism but the work is far from over.
“We think the permanent climate resilient repairs for the three major damaged highways will probably be about one billion dollars,” he said.
About 70 per cent of that will be eligible for federal disaster funding, he added.
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