The provincial government is moving forward with a project to build a dedicated Commercial Vehicle and Safety Enforcement (CVSE) pullout south of Barriere along notorious Highway 5 north.
The pullout is part of ongoing efforts to improve safety on Highway 5, which has seen a sharp rise in the number of fatalities in recent years in and around the communities of Barriere and Clearwater.
In a news release issued March 7, the government noted increasing traffic volume on the Highway 5 North corridor requires more commercial vehicle inspections. A contract has been awarded to Civil North Consulting Ltd. for $2.2 million to build a CVSE inspection pullout 12 kilometres south of Barriere for southbound travel. Construction begins in spring 2024 and is scheduled to be complete by fall 2024.
Barriere mayor Ward Stamer said the pullout in the works for over a year.
“It’s another tool in the toolbox,” said Ward. “We appreciate the increase in enforcement as we’ve noted their efforts and they are around on a more regular basis lately. Just slowing down the speeders isn’t the only thing going on out there though. We need more investment in our highway as well via additional improvements such as widening, straightening, more passing lanes and making those improvements that has been needed for many years. “
Stamer added the upgrade is “just a ‘drop in the bucket … when the government can announce $900 million for Highway 1 and $2.2 million for Highway 5.”
In addition to the pullout construction on Highway 5 , the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is also launching a new average-speed data-collection system for research purposes between Kamloops and Avola. Speed data will be collected with cameras that will calculate the average speed of vehicles travelling between two distant points along the highway.
The ministry noted the project will provide accurate information about vehicle speeds along the highway and help inform future decisions to further improve safety. The cameras will be used only for ministry data gathering and not speed enforcement, which is the responsibility of police. The cameras are expected to be installed in spring 2024.
The government has been under increasing pressure in recent months as highway tragedies have continued to unfold in 2023. Leaders throughout the North Thompson Valley have been meeting with government pushing for increased safety measures, in particular aimed at commercial traffic which has been involved in several of the fatalities.
