Before the current government came to power in the early 2000s, a cost estimate was made as to the monies required to four-lane the remaining pieces of the Trans-Canada Highway from Kamloops to the Alberta border.
That figure was over $2 billion or $200 million of targeted spending per year for 10 years.
Fast forward to today. That figure is now $3 billion. The $650 million our premier set aside for the Trans-Canada Highway was lost a long time ago due to inflation and procrastination as very little highway construction was done.
The cost of construction escalates approximately 10 per cent per year.
The cost and losses to the people of B.C. are going to rise year after year until the government of the day abandons the excuses and makes an effort to effect solutions.
The loss of life has grown from an average of 10.5 per year in 1999 to almost 16 per year today. Since early 2000, we have lost more people on this stretch of the highway to accidents than we lost in the entire Afghanistan conflict.
Statistics tell us that four-laning and dividing the highway will reduce accidents by 50 per cent.
The premier can’t put a stop to the loss of life but at least she can slow down the number of vehicular homicides to a more realistic level by improving the maintenance, design and the construction of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Does she have the will?
R. A. (Bob) Edwards