Halfway River bridge open

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Halfway River bridge opened Thursday afternoon, as well as about three kilometres of highway.

According to Bob Gammer, the manager of Site C community relations, the opening means all new bridges and highway segments between Fort St. John and Hudson’s Hope are now open to traffic.

The work is part of the Highway 29 realignment, which Gammer said is a “critical step” ahead of filling the reservoir.

He says, in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Bc Hydro is on track to complete all remaining work on Highway 29 in the coming months.

The bridge was reportedly completed on February 10th after construction began in 2018 as part of the realignment of Highway 29 to account for the filling of Site C’s reservoir. 

The Halfway River Bridge was the largest of the five bridges constructed at one kilometre long.

The other bridges at Farrell Creek, Dry Creek, and Lynx Creek were opened in the fall of 2022, and the bridge at Cache Creek was opened in December 2022.

According to BC Hydro, the filling of the Site C reservoir will widen the Peace River by two-to-three times and could happen as early as 2023.

For more information on BC Hydro’s Highway 29 realignment, visit their website.