A contract worth $4,646,317 has been awarded to Interoute Construction Ltd. to repair and resurface approximately 30 km of Highway 43 between Sparwood and Elkford.

Bill Bennett, Kootenay East MLA, said the upgrades will increase safety for residents of the East Kootenays and industrial users on the Highway 43 corridor by providing an improved and smoother pavement surface.

“Highway 43 is one of our most important highways in this region because it connects workers with the mines as well as serves as the major service artery for all the small businesses that supply the coal mines,” he said. “This work will improve the quality of the highway and make it safer for workers and their families who use it on a daily basis.”

He said increased traffic from the mining and forest industries, combined with a long winter, have deteriorated the asphalt surface to a point where routine maintenance is impractical and resurfacing is required.

Approximately 15 km of the highway will be resurfaced using hot in place recycling, a born in B.C. technique. The remainder will be resurfaced using a traditional “mill and fill” asphalt overlay.

Hot in place recycling is a proven resurfacing process that recycles the existing paved surface and requires minimal amounts of new asphalt and aggregate.

Work is scheduled to be completed by fall of this year.