Highlights of the Year

Expanding the Transportation Network

Dramatic investments in British Columbia's transportation infrastructure are strengthening the economy, making travellers safer, and enhancing the flow of people and goods throughout the province and across international borders.

In 2004/05, the provincial government made direct investments totalling $624 million in British Columbia transportation improvement projects, as the ministry and its partners in federal, provincial, regional and municipal governments and the private sector co-operate to revitalize and expand the transportation network.

Some of these important investments include:

• Highway Rehabilitation: Protects the public's investment in transportation assets and keeps the highway network safe and reliable through resurfacing and safety improvements, such as seismic retrofitting and guardrail installation.
• Heartlands Roads Program: Significantly improves the roads that provide access to communities, resources and industries in the northern and interior part of B.C.
• Transportation Partnerships Program (Ports, Airports and Cycling): Helps develop the closest port in the Americas to the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific market by supporting a container handling facility at the Port of Prince Rupert. Modernizes and expands airports across British Columbia to boost tourism and create new jobs and economic development opportunities. Rehabilitates small community airports to support emergency response and air access services. Assists local governments with the development of bicycle networks to make cycling a safe and attractive option for commuters.
• Border Crossing Program: Enhances the free flow of goods through B.C.'s busiest border crossings to keep international trade moving and the economy strong. Eliminates bottlenecks at borders and improves safety for all road users through road upgrades and investments in transportation technology. These multi-year projects, totalling $242 million, will be cost-shared with the federal government.
• Highway Corridors: Improves the safety and efficiency of major highways throughout the province by adding lanes, passing lanes and left-turn slots; realigning roads; and installing safety upgrades.
• Okanagan Corridor Improvements: Supports trade and tourism by replacing the Okanagan Lake Bridge with a new crossing. Reduces congestion in urban areas by four-laning Highway 97 between Summerland and Peachland, upgrading highways 97 and 33 within Kelowna, four-laning Highway 97A north of Vernon to Armstrong and upgrading key intersections with the Trans-Canada Highway.
• Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project: Makes extensive safety, reliability and capacity improvements to the Sea-to-Sky Highway from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler. These improvements include widening and straightening the highway, improving sightlines, adding passing lanes, providing better lane delineation and incorporating other design innovations to reduce hazards, shorten travel times and increase capacity of the highway. Since 2002, the ministry has carried out extensive consultation with corridor stakeholders and communities, and consultation will continue as the project advances. The work will be completed by the end of 2009 to accommodate the 2010 Olympic Games.
• Gateway Program: Reduces congestion and improves the movement of people, goods and transit throughout Greater Vancouver through a proposed program of road and bridge improvements along and across the Fraser River. The program represents an estimated investment of about $3 billion. Proposed projects include:
  • South Fraser Perimeter Road, a primarily new east-west route along the south side of the Fraser River;
  • North Fraser Perimeter Road, a set of improvements to existing roads from Coquitlam to Maple Ridge, including a new high-level Pitt River Bridge to replace the existing swing bridges; and
  • Port Mann Bridge/Highway 1, which involves twinning the Port Mann Bridge, upgrading interchanges, and improving access and safety along Highway 1 from Vancouver to Langley. The project would make it possible to extend the high occupancy vehicle lanes and transit across the bridge.

The ministry is consulting with local and regional governments and conducting technical and financial analyses to develop a draft project scope for public consultation and environmental assessment review. Pre-design community consultation on the southwest Delta segment of the South Fraser Perimeter Road was completed in 2004.

• Oil and Gas Exploration Roads: Rehabilitates roads in the Northeast to help eliminate seasonal road restrictions and extend the winter drilling season for oil and gas exploration, thereby attracting new investment and creating jobs. This rehabilitation is being done in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
• Weigh Scales Upgrade Program: Reduces waiting times and improves accessibility and safety. These changes will reduce trucking industry costs and allow the faster transportation of goods. The ministry is also saving money by partnering with neighboring jurisdictions on joint use facilities. For example, B.C. and Alberta partnered to build a Joint Use Vehicle Inspection Station on the Trans-Canada Highway at Golden near the provincial border.
• Richmond-Airport-Vancouver Rapid Transit Project (RAV): Links central Richmond, the Vancouver International Airport and Vancouver's downtown business district with a rail-based rapid transit line. The project is jointly funded by the provincial government, Vancouver International Airport, the federal government and the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink). TransLink will deliver the project through its subsidiary RAVCO. The province has committed $435 million to the project.

The provincial transportation investment plan is set out in detail in "Opening up BC: A transportation plan for British Columbia," available online at:
http://www.gov.bc.ca/bcgov/content/images/transportation_plan_web.pdf.

Making Public Dollars Go Further

The ministry finished its Alternative Service Delivery Project in 2004/05. The ministry now operates as a knowledgeable owner who takes advantage of the expertise and innovation of the private sector, instead of paying to keep all that expertise in-house. This change allows the ministry to meet growing transportation demands at a lower cost to the taxpayer.

Sign production, geotechnical drilling, inland ferry services, pavement marking and most electrical maintenance operations are now being delivered by the private sector. Ministry staff will continue to perform radio communications and some electrical maintenance work, as a competitive tender process did not find any private sector services that would provide better value for the taxpayer.

Slashing Red Tape

The Ministry of Transportation has cut its regulatory requirements by 41 per cent since June 2001, well over its 33 per cent target.

The new Transportation Act consolidates core pieces of highway legislation into one plain language document. The act eliminates outdated regulations and clarifies the highway responsibilities of provincial and local governments, making it easier for both of them to plan for the future. These changes save taxpayers' money by eliminating red tape and improving the way the ministry does business.

The new Passenger Transportation Act has replaced the outdated Motor Carrier Act, making it possible for bus, taxi and other commercial passenger operators to obtain licences and renewals more quickly. The act makes these industries more competitive, while still protecting and improving services for the public.

The Passenger Transportation Board has cut its regulatory requirements by 43 per cent since June 2001, well over its 33 per cent target.

Welcoming Tourists

Nine new circle routes will attract new visitors and boost tourism investment across B.C. The ministry invested approximately $3.5 million to improve the highways that make up the circle routes and has committed an additional $700,000 to mark the routes with attractive guide signs for travellers. Circle routes encourage visitors to take more time travelling in B.C., which will lead them to spend more of their vacation dollars here.

The province also invested $625,000 on a sign program to direct tourists to local wineries. Wine tourism is a rapidly growing part of B.C.'s tourism industry, which will stimulate local economies and create new job opportunities. Program costs are shared with the federal government, which will reimburse up to 50 per cent of the provincial government's investment.

To make sure visitors have a comfortable trip, the ministry is expanding and improving provincial rest stops and washroom facilities throughout B.C. Many existing rest areas will be upgraded with new picnic tables, toilets, improved walkways and wheelchair ramps, and hand sanitization stations where running water is not available. Through the ministry's Youth Employment Program, students will help maintain the rest areas and act as goodwill ambassadors for visitors from around the world.

Building Local Economies

The Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) gives northern communities the ability to stimulate sustainable economic growth and job creation in their regions, ensuring that northerners share in the benefits of the BC Rail Investment Partnership with Canadian National. Northerners may use the $135 million trust to make strategic investments in forestry, pine beetle recovery, transportation, tourism, mining, energy, 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games opportunities, small business and sustainable economic development.

The NDIT is an investment for northerners, controlled by northerners, for the benefit of northerners. An independent board of directors headquartered within Prince George manages the NDIT, with the input of four regional advisory committees from the Peace, Prince George, Northwest and Cariboo-Chilcotin/Lillooet regions.

In addition, a $15 million First Nations Trust has been established from BC Rail Investment Partnership proceeds; to support economic development, educational advancement, and cultural renewal for First Nations with historic business relationships with BC Rail.