THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2018 Vol. 75, No. 35
Serving Fort St. John, B.C. and Surrounding Communities
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alaskahighwaynews.ca
“The Only Newspaper in the World That Gives a Tinker’s Dam About the North Peace.”
ma murray school set to open
huskies staying hungry
hudson’s hope fall fair
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SPORTS B1
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Council eyes turn signals for highway intersections
SITE C ENTERS FOURTH YEAR
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Three years after crews moved in to clear out wild forest along the Peace River, the Site C construction zone is now a sprawling 900-hectare site home to concrete plants and manufacturing shops, and busy with heavy duty trucks hauling dirt and rocks from one place to the next. On Aug. 22, BC Hydro gave Fort St. John media an on-theground look at construction matt preprost Photos progress. Top: Substation and transformer construction at Site C. Above: Transmission “We’re on an ancient river line clearing on the south bank of the Peace River. To see more photos and bed, a lot of the materials video from the tour, visit alaskahighwaynews.ca/site-c for site are coming off of here,” said Dave Conway, heritage investigations, Nations, West Moberly and community relations geotechnical crews study Prophet River return to manager for the $10.7-billion plans to realign six sections BC Supreme Court Sept. 4 project. of Highway 29 away from looking for an injunction “The gravels that are here the planned reservoir, and to stop work at key sites are being sorted, they’re being quarries operate near Charlie throughout the region until crushed, and they’re being Lake and south of Chetwynd. their lawsuit alleging treaty developed into materials Some 3,150 workers are rights infringement can be that are needed for various reported to be working on the fully heard. things like roller compacted project, most on site itself, One of those sites is Bear concrete, or shotcrete, or while others work in different Flat, where the province concrete materials itself, parts of the province, such directed BC Hydro to or for roads. There’s lots of as Conway in Prince George, investigate alternatives to different activities going on.” or in Vancouver, where one Highway 29 realignment Most of the primary engineering and project staff to avoid First Nations cultural contractors for the dam are are largely based. areas, including a burial site. on site, including Peace River Key to the project is The highway at Bear Flat Hydro Partners, in charge of diverting the Peace River in needs to be realigned before building the actual dam and 2020 so work on building the river diversion in 2020 as its civil works; Voith Hydro, the actual kilometre-long, it will be flooded out. which is custom building 60-metre high dam can begin. Conway said BC Hydro the turbines and generators Though construction started has met with landowners to suit the dam’s location in earnest in 2015, BC Hydro and First Nations, and that on the Peace River; the has been testing the dam site a decision on a new route Aecon-Flatiron-Dragados- since the mid to late-1970s, is expected in the fall. He EBC Partnership, which is Conway said. declined to comment on the currently building its shops “We know what rock is injunction before the courts. on site and will build the here, so we’re not looking for If granted, it could delay the the generating station and bedrock,” Conway said. project by years as the treaty spillways. “The dam is going to rest on rights infringement trial is A number of other shales, and the powerhouse heard. contractors and and spillway structures are “We’ve worked with First subcontractors are on site, going to be anchored into Nations and continue to servicing a 1,600-person shale materials as well. We work with First Nations to work camp running at 83 know what they look like, address their concerns and per cent capacity, building because there’s hundreds of interests,” Conway said. “We a new substation, clearing drill casings here.” have a number of agreements transmission line rightWhile BC Hydro has signed and are continuing to work of-ways. Elsewhere, benefit and work agreements through that process.” archaeologists continue with a number of area First See SITE C on A4
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Fort St. John city councillors voted Monday to start talks with the province about installing left turn signals at intersections along the Alaska Highway. The move stems from discussions about managing traffic problems at 108 Street and the Alaska Highway frontage road. Councillors agreed that adding signals to that intersection could be a first step toward improving traffic flow, and allow more time to study what exactly should be done at the frontage road. “There’s options, but we haven’t fully considered the ramifications,” Mayor Lori Ackerman said at council’s committee of the whole meeting. A motion to work with the ministry of transportation to add the left turn signals at 108 Street and the Alaska Highway was expanded to include all highway intersections, to avoid a “piecemeal approach” to addressing safety, Coun. Trevor Bolin said. City staff had initially been looking for direction on whether to install some type of concrete barrier along 108 Street at the frontage road, part of an effort to reduce dozens of “conflict points” that continue to frustrate and endanger motorists. The biggest concern has been left turn movements or frontage road traffic crossing 108 Street, according to Victor Shopland, the city’s integrated services manager. “Putting up barriers and signage could change that very quickly,” he said. However, nearby business owners have rejected the idea of building a barrier, and raised concerns that cutting off the intersection would eat up their sales and profits. Councillors acknowledged the intersection is a challenge — Coun. Byron Stewart said he avoids it, while Bolin said, “you just hold your breath and go.” “We’re looking at a safety concern brought to us over the last 10 years,” Bolin said. However, councillors couldn’t agree on a specific solution or the timing to implement one and retrain drivers. There was talk about installing a short barrier between the highway and frontage road only, which would keep the intersection open and help define traffic lanes. Painting traffic lines and installing signage to limit some traffic movements was also discussed.
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