Highway 97 is the major north-south transportation corridor through the province of British Columbia. The highway connects the two major east-west routes, Highway 1 and Highway 16, and connects the lower 48 states to Alaska (via Yukon Territory). It is critical infrastructure supporting the development of major projects, integral to advancing forestry, mining, LNG, oil and gas, and green energy projects. While significant work has been completed since 2007 to four-lane the highway between Cache Creek and Prince George, the route through Quesnel remains a major pinch point. In Quesnel, Highway 97 passes through 11 controlled intersections, passes over the Quesnel River Bridge with a height restriction, and over the aging Rail Overhead bridge, and makes a sharp 90-degree turn.

The North-South Interconnector would:

• Save travel time with more efficient travel flow
• Decrease braking by eliminating 7 controlled intersections
• Increase width and height limits on the Quesnel River Bridge
• Support the advancement of major projects in the region through lowered transportation costs
• Reduce emissions
• Create significant local benefits further outlined below.

show your support!

We’re asking local governments, First Nations governments, and industry who will see the benefits of this project to demonstrate their support. Please submit a letter for us to include in our package to the Province asking for them to move this project forward.

Download letter template

Send letter to: cityhall@quesnel.ca

what are the issues?

The Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Rail Overhead Bridge need to be replaced due to their age and deteriorating condition. The current plan is to rehabilitate the bridges, but it does not improve the safety, mobility, and reliability of the existing structures.

• The Quesnel River Bridge is designed with an overhead truss system, restricting vehicle height, and creating a risk of catastrophic damage to the truss support system from a commercial vehicle crash. This would necessitate a significant detour to bypass this vital connection.
• The Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead Bridge do not meet current Provincial lane and shoulder specifications. The bridge has narrow 3.35-metre lanes and the Quesnel Overhead Bridge has narrow 3.3-metre lanes, both of which are very tight for commercial vehicles.
  

Highway 97 flows through downtown Quesnel, crossing eleven major intersections. There have been multiple vehicle and pedestrian collisions at these intersections which will continue to be safety risks unless the highway is rerouted.

The highway also runs beside G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital and at one point is approximately nine metres from the hospital building.

There are no alternate routes around Quesnel, forcing the dangerous goods route through the downtown core alongside multiple senior residences, medical clinics, low-income housing, emergency shelter and transitional housing and G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital.

Recommended Solution

The Quesnel North-South Interconnector design includes a new 3.7-km section of Highway 97 from North Star Road to River Park Road. The proposed route includes:

• Two new structures to replace the Quesnel River Bridge and the Quesnel Rail Crossing Bridge
• Two new signalized intersections that would connect to the existing Highway 97 alignment, including Front St. and the Moffat Bridge Approach

This solution was the highest ranked by 81% of survey respondents in 2018 Quesnel Public Engagement.

View the Flyover Animation video below:

Benefits of the Quesnel North-South Interconnector

Improved Air Quality
Pollution and GHG emissions would be reduced by up to 4,621 tonnes per year because of lower vehicle operating costs and fuel consumption.

Efficient Goods Movement
The Interconnector would benefit all of British Columbia as well as the expanding Prince Rupert Port Authority by facilitating efficient freight movement, reducing transit time and costs, and enhancing connectivity.

Enhanced Local Safety
Dangerous goods and other heavy traffic would be significantly reduced from areas that include multiple senior residences, medical clinics, low-income housing, emergency shelter and transitional housing and the regional hospital. The Interconnector would also drastically decrease pedestrian/vehicle incidents in downtown Quesnel.

Tourism and Economic Development Benefits
The Interconnector would remove most of the heavy truck traffic away from Carson Ave and Front St, allowing both to be reclassified as arterial routes rather than highways. This would allow the City to develop its downtown and waterfront plans which hold projects that are contingent on the highway moving. The plans articulate a vision and illustrate a future for the Quesnel riverfront that is based on realistic economic development opportunities.

Reducing Noise Pollution
Moving the highway from Carson Ave and Front St would dramatically reduce the noise pollution for residents in senior care facilities, the hospital, low-income housing and emergency shelter and transitional housing. Reducing the noise pollution in these areas can create healthier and more peaceful environments that promote well-being and enhance overall quality of life.

Improved Emergency Response Times
Replacing the Quesnel River Bridge and Rail Overhead with modern 4-lane structures and building the Interconnector would improve emergency response times throughout the region.

Enhanced Connectivity
Both local and regional travellers would have two route options to travel north-south across the City, as opposed to only one currently. Pedestrian and cyclist connectivity could also improve with the addition of new pedestrian and cycle facilities on the new Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead structures.

Enhanced Road Network Resilience
The current Quesnel River Bridge and Rail Overhead are considered high-risk structures due to their age, design and importance to provincial connectivity. Replacing the structures with a 4-lane modern design will provide enhanced reliability and resilience.

Improved Travel Time Predictability
The North-South Interconnector can reduce local and regional travel time by minutes, improving schedule predictability.

community support

Council will be presenting an information package to the Province and we need to reinforce the community support of the Quesnel North-South Interconnector.

Residents in the Quesnel area are asked to share their viewpoints and support for the project.

To show your support, please write a small (under 100 words) comment on the discussion board or send us a letter to City Hall at 410 Kinchant Street or by email at cityhall@quesnel.ca.