Report on Resources
The ministry dedicates almost all its resources to planning, building and protecting a transportation network that will strengthen British Columbia's economies and communities. It invests heavily in transportation improvements, public transportation, and highway operations to provide this network and keep it safe and reliable. The ministry also diligently monitors the service it provides to ensure the public is getting good value for money.
Minimal resources are dedicated to administering key transportation regulations. The ministry anticipates no major changes in its available resources or the way they are invested.
Kelowna - New Hybrid Electric Bus
Resource Summary 2005/06
Ministry of Transportation
| Estimated | Other Authorizations | Total Estimated | Actual | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Expenses ($000) | |||||
| Transportation Improvements | 17,925 | 0 | 17,925 | 20,318 | (2,393) |
| Public Transportation1 | 359,292 | 10,645 | 369,937 | 360,303 | 9,634 |
| Highway Operations | 437,337 | 0 | 437,337 | 444,601 | (7,264) |
| Passenger Transportation Regulation | 2,301 | 0 | 2,301 | 1,917 | 384 |
| Executive and Support Services | 12,236 | 0 | 12,236 | 12,282 | (46) |
| Total | 829,091 | 10,645 | 839,736 | 839,421 | 315 |
| Full-time Equivalents (FTEs)2 | |||||
| Transportation Improvements | 286 | 0 | 286 | 240.1 | 45.9 |
| Highway Operations | 932 | 0 | 932 | 956.9 | (24.9) |
| Passenger Transportation Regulation | 22 | 0 | 22 | 18.8 | 3.2 |
| Executive and Support Services | 83 | 0 | 83 | 80.2 | 2.8 |
| Total | 1,323 | 0 | 1,323 | 1,296 | 27 |
| Ministry Capital Expenditures (Consolidated Revenue Fund) ($000)3 | |||||
| Transportation Improvements | 1,255 | 0 | 1,255 | 633 | 622 |
| Highway Operations | 17,163 | 0 | 17,163 | 14,772 | 2,391 |
| Passenger Transportation Regulation | 183 | 0 | 183 | 29 | 154 |
| Executive and Support Services | 398 | 0 | 398 | 80 | 318 |
| Total | 18,999 | 0 | 18,999 | 15,514 | 3,485 |
| Other Financing Transactions ($000)4 | |||||
| Prepaid Capital Advances — Public Transportation | 24,800 | 0 | 24,800 | 20,504 | 4,296 |
| Revenue ($000)5 | |||||
| Total Receipts | 114,492 | 0 | 114,492 | 120,903 | (6,411) |
| 1 | The ministry accessed government contingency for $10.6 million to fund fuel cost pressures and a provincial sales tax assessment on Rapid Transit Project 2000 rolling stock. |
| 2 | FTE staff usage was 27 under budget due largely to recruitment lag. |
| 3 | The ministry CRF capital budget was under expended largely due to the deferral of systems and operating equipment purchases. |
| 4 | Prepaid Capital Advances are made to support Public Transportation around the province. The variance is due to revised capital expenditures by Rapid Transit Project 2000. |
| 5 | Revenue was $6.4 million higher than expected due to increased Coquihalla Toll and weigh scale permit revenues. |
BC Transportation Financing Authority
| Total Estimated1 | Actual | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue ($000) | |||
| Dedicated taxes2 | 425, 200 | 429,901 | (4,701) |
| Amortization of deferred contributions3 | 165,270 | 167,932 | (2,662) |
| Other revenue4 | 46,888 | 55,663 | (8,775) |
| Total | 637,358 | 653,496 | (16,138) |
| Expenditures ($000) | |||
| Amortization | 313,002 | 313,590 | (588) |
| Interest5 | 156,279 | 155,365 | 914 |
| Heartlands roads program6 | 35,000 | 12,964 | 22,036 |
| Grant programs7 | 94,012 | 65,763 | 28,249 |
| Operations and administration8 | 28,625 | 53,156 | (24,531) |
| Total | 626,918 | 600,838 | 26,080 |
| Net Income ($000) | |||
| Net Earnings (Loss) | 10,440 | 52,658 | (42,218) |
| Capital Plan ($000)9 | |||
| Transportation Improvements | 647,673 | 639,365 | 8,308 |
| 1 | These amounts have been restated to be consistent with the classification of revenue and expenditures adopted for the 2006/07and subsequent years' budgets. |
| 2 | Dedicated taxes include 6.75 cents per litre motor fuel tax and a provincial sales tax on short-term car rentals of $1.50 per day. |
| 3 | Contributions toward capital assets are deferred and amortized to income at the same rate as the related highway infrastructure is amortized to expense. |
| 4 | Other revenue includes interest, property and economic development revenues. |
| 5 | Interest on borrowing used to finance construction work in progress is capitalized. Upon completion, related interest costs are expensed. |
| 6 | Improvements to Heartlands roads are included in capital expenditures; repairs to Heartlands roads are expensed. Total Heartlands roads program is $75 million per year to the end of 2007/08, then $55 million for 2008/09. The variance in the expense portion was offset by a greater portion included in capital expenditures. |
| 7 | Grant programs include grants paid under the Transportation Partnerships Program for ports and airports, the provincial contribution to the Canada Line rapid transit project and other projects. The variance was primarily due to adjustments in the Canada Line and in the Port of Prince Rupert project delivery schedules. |
| 8 | Operations and administration variance was primarily due to unanticipated write down of project costs and First Nations accommodation agreements. |
| 9 | Capital Plan numbers are net of federal funding. |
Complete BC Transportation Financing Authority Financial Statements are available at: http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/publications/ministry_reporting/
BCTFA/05-06_financial_statement.pdf.
Major Capital Projects
Nisga'a Highway
Objective: The Nisga'a Highway Project has been a seven-year investment program that involved upgrading the Nisga'a Highway from a gravel resource road to an all-weather, two-lane highway that meets a 70 kilometres per hour standard. The upgrade, which is expected to be finished by June 2006, will better serve Nass Valley residents and resource industries in the area.
Costs: The estimated total cost for the seven-year program is $52 million.
Benefits:
- Safer roads;
- travel time savings;
- better access to British Columbia communities; and
- economic development through increased tourism and more efficient movement of goods and services.
Risks: This project has presented engineering and construction challenges due to the rugged terrain. However, few risks remain as the construction left on the Nisga'a Highway upgrade is straightforward gravel and paving work.
Kicking Horse Canyon
Objective: Upgrade the 26-kilometre section of the Trans-Canada Highway to a modern, four-lane standard from the junction of Highway 95 at Golden to the western boundary of Yoho National Park. This corridor was originally constructed throughout the 1950s and is mostly two lanes wide. It is an important route for tourism and inter-provincial trade, serving as a gateway between British Columbia and the rest of North America. Additionally, by connecting remote resource extraction sites with processing, manufacturing and distribution centres, this portion of the Trans-Canada Highway is a key part of our province's resource economies, particularly forestry and mining.
The Kicking Horse Canyon project has three phases, of which only the first two are funded and underway.
Costs: The estimated cost is $195 million for the first two phases.
- Yoho (5-Mile) Bridge (current budget $65 million): The cost of this work is being shared with the Government of Canada under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program. The federal portion is $23 million and the provincial portion is $42 million. Expenditures to March 31, 2006, are $53 million. Construction is on schedule and expected to be complete by fall 2006.
- Park (10-Mile) Bridge (current budget $130 million): The cost of this work is being shared with the Government of Canada under the Canadian Strategic Infrastructure Fund. The federal portion is $62.5 million and the provincial portion is $67.5 million. The provincial government awarded a public-private partnership to deliver the improvements through a Design-Build-Finance-Operate (DBFO) contract in October 2005. Design and construction by the DBFO contractor commenced in November 2005. Expenditures to March 31, 2006, are approximately $29 million.
Note: It is anticipated that in the future there will be a third phase for upgrades from Golden to 5-Mile and 10-Mile to Yoho National Park when federal cost-sharing is secured. Improvements likely will be made over the longer term, rather than within the three-year scope of the most recent service plan. Preliminary engineering work is underway.
Benefits:
- Safer roads and increased capacity on a critical provincial and national gateway;
- fewer road closures due to slides and accidents;
- replacement of two major structures that are nearing the end of their service lives; and
- economic development through increased tourism and more efficient movement of goods and services.
Risks:
- Challenging climatic and geographic conditions; and
- managing traffic during construction.
William R. Bennett Bridge
Objective: Construct a new five-lane bridge to replace the existing 48-year-old bridge which is now at the end of its economic and useful
life, and reduce the increasing traffic congestion. A competitive procurement process resulted in the selection of SNC-Lavalin
as the private partner to design, build, finance and operate the new bridge and related improvements to the highway approaches.
Costs: The bridge and east approach capital improvements are estimated to cost $144.5 million.
Benefits:
- Improved safety;
- reduced congestion and travel time;
- reliable 75-year life for new bridge; and
- economic development through increased tourism and more efficient movement of goods and services.
Risks: Engineering and construction challenges, which are substantially transferred to the private sector through the public-private partnership.
Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project
Objectives: Implement extensive improvements to the existing highway between Horseshoe Bay and Whistler to improve safety, reliability and mobility. The improvements will make travel along the corridor safer for residents, commuters, tourists and businesses moving goods.
Costs: The ministry chose a combination of private partnerships to deliver the highway improvements on the Sea-to-Sky corridor. Approximately two-thirds of the capital expenditure of the overall project is being undertaken through a 25-year performance-based public private partnership between the ministry and the S2S Transportation Group. The total capital budget for the project is $600 million with on-target expenditures of $170 million to March 31, 2006. Further information including a Capital Project Plan is available at: http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca/.
Benefits:
- A safer road;
- increased capacity;
- reduced vehicle operating costs;
- fewer road closures due to slides and traffic incidents; and
- First Nations' participation and opportunities.
Risks:
- Difficult terrain and unstable areas that the highway crosses;
- the need to keep a large volume of traffic flowing while carrying out the improvements;
- the need to address municipal, First Nations, community and environmental issues; and
- the unalterable schedule for completing the job.
Rapid Transit Project 2000
Objective: The Millennium Line project, which is complete and running smoothly, included construction of the 21.6 kilometre Millennium Line extension to the SkyTrain rail transit system in the Lower Mainland, plus feasibility studies of two planned further extensions of the SkyTrain. The last major milestone for the Millennium Line — the construction of the last portion from Commercial Station to Vancouver Community College — was achieved in December 2005. The completion of the Millennium Line provides the Lower Mainland with the longest (48 kilometres) fully-automated rapid transit system in the world.
Costs: The total cost of the Millennium Line is $1.104 billion, which is $63 million lower than its approved budget of $1.167 billion.
Benefits:
- Rapid transit service for current and future commuters;
- reduced congestion;
- reduced pollution from automobile exhaust emissions;
- slower growth in the demand for new highway infrastructure; and
- less urban sprawl, due to compact development around transit stations.
Risks: No risks as the Millennium Line is complete. The RTP 2000 website is located at: http://www.rapidtransit.bc.ca.
Transportation Investment Plan
Key components of the Transportation Investment Plan include:
- Border Crossing Program — Roughly $91 million was invested in 2005/06 on projects to enhance the free flow of goods through British Columbia's busiest border crossings to keep international trade moving and the economy strong. Of this, $31 million was recovered from federal and municipal partnering opportunities. The program's multi-year projects, totaling $258 million, will be cost-shared with the federal government.
- Gateway Program — $44 million was invested in 2005/06 in reducing congestion and improving the movement of goods, people, and transit throughout Greater Vancouver through a proposed program of road and bridge improvements along and across the Fraser River. 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. The Gateway Program has developed a draft cycling plan for consultation, to accommodate commuter and recreational cyclists within the Gateway corridors, including across the potentially-twinned Port Mann Bridge. This component will see the largest single expansion of cycling network in the history of British Columbia — a $50 million commitment.
- Highway Corridors — Investments totaling $72 million were made in 2005/06 improving the performance of highway corridors through projects such as passing lanes, four-laning, left turn slots, realignments and safety upgrades. $9 million of this was recovered through the federal Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP). Projected investment from 2005/06 to 2007/08 is in the order of $200 million. Approximately $10 million of this will come from the federal government under the SHIP.
- Cariboo Connector — Widening the 460-kilometre portion of Highway 97 from Cache Creek to Prince George will increase safety and decrease travelling times while providing northern communities with a first-class trade corridor that meets the needs of a rapidly expanding economy. Phase 1 of this five-year program was initiated in 2005/06, with about $9 million invested.
- Highway Rehabilitation — Invested $151 million in 2005/06 in road and bridge surfacing, bridge rehabilitation, seismic retrofits and highway safety improvements.
- Heartlands Roads — Making Heartlands roads safer and more reliable, and improving connections between communities. The ministry invested $81 million in 2005/06 to renew the northern and rural road network.
- Okanagan Corridor Improvements — In addition to replacing the Okanagan Lake Bridge with the new William R. Bennett Bridge, trade and tourism will be supported
by investing approximately $20 million a year on projects that will reduce congestion in rural and 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.
Investments of $11.9 million in 2005/06 saw, among other projects, the completion of Okanagan Lake Park to Greta Ranch, Swan Lake to Larkin, Highway 97 Lyness Passing Lane, and the Ponderosa Intersection. - Transportation Partnerships Program — Approximately half a million dollars was invested in 2005/06. The program is helping to 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. Modernization and expansion of airports across British Columbia to boost tourism and create new jobs and economic development opportunities are also being supported. Along with contributions from partners, the ministry continues to reserve $10 million a year that will bring benefits for regional economies. A portion of this program funding is directed to cost-sharing on the development of bicycle networks to make cycling a safe and attractive option for commuters.
- Weigh Scales Upgrade Program — Over the final year of this three year program, an estimated $5 million will be invested to reduce wait times and improve 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 the Province of Alberta on joint use facilities. One such Joint Use Vehicle Inspection Station is currently under construction on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Golden and is scheduled for completion this summer.
- Heartlands Oil and Gas Road Rehabilitation Strategy — Roughly $38 million was invested in 2005/06 in rehabilitating the existing public road infrastructure in the Northeast region of the province 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, Mines and Petroleum Resources.
- Richmond-Airport-Vancouver Rapid Transit Project (RAV) — The RAV project (Canada Line) is a jointly-funded (British Columbia Government, Vancouver International Airport, Federal Government and the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (GVTA)) rail-based rapid transit line that will link central Richmond, the Vancouver International Airport and Vancouver's downtown business district. The project is deliverable by the GVTA through its subsidiary RAVCO. The Province is committed to making $435 million in contributions; $65 million was invested in the project in 2005/06.
