Highway 29 realignment program reaches completion

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Construction on the Highway 29 realignment program is officially complete. 

Funded by BC Hydro as part of the Site C project and delivered by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the program realigned approximately six segments across 30 kilometres of the highway and constructed five new bridges along the Peace River. This includes the Halfway River Bridge, which is more than one kilometre in length, and the largest bridge in B.C. north of Kelowna. 

The new alignment reduces curves along the road and improves sightlines. It is also equipped with wider vehicle travel lanes and paved shoulders for the safety of cyclists, pedestrians, and all roadway users. 

Work on the program also included geotechnical, environmental, and archeological studies, geotechnical stabilization works, and moving electrical and phone lines to accommodate new highway construction.

The highway realignment was required in anticipation of the Site C reservoir filling, which could begin as early as fall, will widen the Peace River by two to three times, and impact sections of the old highway. 

According to a release from BC Hydro, design engineers considered the potential effects of climate change during design development in order to ensure safety for road users and increase resiliency for the possibility of future extreme weather events. 

All six realignment segments are currently open to traffic, and decommissioning of the old highway is currently underway and expected to finish this year.