ICBC helps make West Kootenay roads safer
By Nelson Daily Staff
The public may have noticed the new pedestrian countdown timers and rumble strips in the community.
These are some of the eight road improvement projects ICBC invested over $92,000 in last year to make Castlegar, Nelson, Trail, Christina Lake, Warfield, Fruitvale, Greenwood and Salmo roads safer for everyone.
This year marks the 25road improvement programth anniversary of ICBC’s with over $130 million invested in B.C. roads since 1990. Over the years, the road improvement program has evolved significantly.
Successful partnerships, community investments and the use of innovative technology and tools have led to award winning projects and contributions that have helped advance the knowledge of the road safety engineering industry across Canada.
“These improvements on Highway 3 from Lafferty Pit Road to Paulson Bridge will make travelling safer for residents and visitors to Christina Lake,” said Linda Larson, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen.”
In 2014, ICBC invested approximately $2 million in the Southern Interior and $7.7 million in projects and safety audits across the province.
“We’re proud of the thousands of road improvements and studies we have contributed to communities across B.C. over the last 25 years,” said Lindsay Matthews, ICBC’s director responsible for road safety.
“Safer roads mean fewer crashes which also translates into lower claims costs. We’ll continue to invest in road safety initiatives that help us keep rates as low as possible for customers.”
ICBC also works with communities to make sure road safety issues are considered in the planning of roadways and managing traffic and participates in engineering safety studies.
All proposed road improvement projects are assessed based on their ability to make roads safer. The most recent evaluation of the program found that over a two year time period, overall, for every dollar invested, ICBC and its customers see a return of five times the investment.
Anyone with suggestions for making a road or intersection safer in your community, contact your local municipality or make your suggestion through icbc.com.
Some of the improvements include, pedestrian countdown timers on Columbia Street in Castlegar; new crosswalk on HIghway 3A on Anderson Street near Safeway in Nelson; improved sight lines in on Rossland Avenue in Trail; and paving on Highway 3B near Fruitvale and Highway 6 from Nelway to Burnt Flat near Salmo.
