The province of British Columbia has issued an invitation for bidders to submit their qualifications to design and build the fourth and final phase of the Highway 1 Kicking Horse Canyon project.
A request for qualifications (RFQ) includes realigning and widening the final 4.8 kilometres through the canyon from West Portal to Yoho Bridge to four lanes and installing median barrier, snow avalanche and rock fall hazard protection.
“People need to feel safe on our highways, and we need to keep goods moving across the province and to the rest of Canada,” said Claire Trevena, B.C.’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “Once this final section of Kicking Horse Canyon is wider and realigned, people will have a much safer experience travelling through this beautiful corridor.”
The total estimated project of $601 million is cost shared. The Government of Canada is contributing up to $215.2 million through the provincial-territorial infrastructure component of the New Building Canada Fund. The province is providing the remaining $385.8 million.
The project budget has increased by $151 million from 2016, reflecting the re-allocation of $23 million of interest during construction from a general capital budget and a $128 million increase in project costs.
The Highway 1 Kicking Horse Canyon project will be built using the CBA. The estimated costs for the application of the CBA is $35 million. This represents 5.8 per cent of the project’s total budget.
According to the government, using the CBA will ensure all workers receive competitive, equal, transparent wages and benefits, enabling greater employment and training opportunities for people traditionally underrepresented in the trades, including women, Indigenous peoples, apprentices and people with disabilities.
The RFQ will establish a short list of qualified proponents. The request for proposals will be issued later this fall. The contract will be awarded in 2020. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2020.
