$400,000 TO IMPROVE ELK RIVER FOREST SERVICE ROAD

April 10, 2009

ELKFORD – Residents and recreationalists of Elkford will benefit from $400,000 to improve travel and safety conditions on the Elk River Forest Service road, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell, Community Development Minister Kevin Krueger and Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Bill Bennett, announced today.

“The Elk River Forest Service road provides important access to the Elk Lakes and Height of the Rockies provincial park,” said Bennett. “As an important draw for tourists, it’s critical to the local tourism economy that this road is maintained.”

Funds will be spent on surfacing, widening and grading to make the 65-kilometre road smoother, ditching to maintain drainage, and brushing, which involves the removal of bushes from the side of the road to improve sightlines.

“The road also accesses six other popular recreation sites and trails in the area and provides important year-round access to local residents,” said Bell.

“People in the Kootenays have told this government they value the economic and social opportunities that come from having a stronger road network. We listened and we are taking action to strengthen the connection between isolated communities and city centres,” said Krueger. “Whether it’s accessing health care, exploring new mineral opportunities or opening new regions to tourism, the benefits of this investment will strengthen the region as a whole.”

British Columbia’s 55,000-kilometre network of Forest Service roads is bigger than the provincial highway system. As first announced by Premier Campbell at the 2008 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, the Ministry of Forests and Range is providing $20 million to improve travel conditions on Forest Service roads that serve as crucial transportation links to rural communities and recreation sites.

The Province of B.C. and the Government of Canada committed on April 7, 2009 to a further $20 million in shared funding for additional Forest Service road upgrades that will be announced in the coming months.

New road maintenance funding is the latest in a series of initiatives to improve safety on Forest Service roads, which include the establishment of radio protocols, speed enforcement through expanded use of radar guns, and the expansion of the Vehicle Identification Plates Program.

Media Contact:
Jennifer McLarty
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests and Range
250 387-4592