After two months of hard work in the thick of summer heat, Dawson Construction has laid their final piece of asphalt on another significant highway project.
Highway 3 from Hope Slide to the Crowley Pit was already old and worn down before the atmospheric river spilled its banks last November and washed out part of the highway. Dawson Construction was one of the crews helping repair and refurbish the highway this summer.
A 12-kilometre stretch of four-lane road (the highway got paved one lane at a time, which totalled nearly 55km of asphalt by the end of the project) was completed this week, ahead of schedule and was under budget.
“Everything has gone very well on this project. Our team has been very efficient, worked well together and did a great job,” said Jason Shank, Paving Project Manager. “The old highway was tired and needed an upgrade before parts of it got washed out.”
A trickle-down effect from the Coquihalla and TransCanada Highway floods last fall meant that lesser travelled roads, such as Highway 3, became overwhelmed with diverted travellers. It added a significant amount of wear and tear to an already old highway.
You could hardly tell now, though. Dawson laid nearly 2km per day of fresh, smooth asphalt.
The job certainly presented its own challenges: steep hills and winding roads made it more difficult at times. Superintendent Denny Johnson was also involved in a life-saving incident partway through the project.
“This highway got a massive upgrade. It was a bit of a hazard before, but now it is beautiful compared to when we started,” said Shank.
Highway 3 is now fully open for traffic in every lane and every direction. If you have the opportunity, enjoy a lovely drive through this section of highway and check out the wonderful work our paving team did.
