Three new chain-up areas are coming to Highway 37 and 37A, part of a $4.52-million contract the province has awarded to TwinCon Enterprises Ltd.
The new pullouts will be located near Meziadin Junction, the Bell 1 rest area, and Windy Hill, giving commercial drivers safer places to stop and install or remove tire chains before steep grades. Some locations will include rest-area amenities like washrooms and garbage cans.
“Highway 37 is a vital transportation corridor for northern communities, industry and visitors travelling through northwestern B.C.,”
said Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s Minister of Transportation and Transit.
“These new chain-up areas will give commercial vehicle drivers safer places to prepare for challenging winter conditions.”
The chain-up project is the first of several to roll out under the Northwest Corridor Improvement Program, a $195-million plan to widen sections of highway, add passing lanes and install Wi-Fi at rest stops along the corridor. B.C. is putting in $120 million, with close to $75 million coming from Natural Resources Canada.
The province says the upgrades were shaped by input from First Nations, local governments and industry, and it continues to engage with Gitanyow, Tahltan, Nisga’a and Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha along the corridor.
Joel Starlund, executive director of the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs, said the improvements go beyond road safety. He pointed to better emergency response and communication access in remote areas, including support for efforts around missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, as well as reduced risk of spills affecting land and water.
Construction on the chain-up areas is expected to be substantially complete by fall 2026, with the full program running through 2030.
Comments