Major highway contract awarded
Cobalt Construction of Whitehorse has been awarded a $10.8-million contract to reconstruct the Alaska Highway between Lodestar Lane and Burns Road.
Cobalt Construction of Whitehorse has been awarded a $10.8-million contract to reconstruct the Alaska Highway between Lodestar Lane and Burns Road.
This summer, a signalized intersection will be built at the Hillcrest intersection to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, the Yukon government said Thursday afternoon.
The contract includes a new paved multi-use trail along the highway which will connect to the City of Whitehorse’s growing trail network.
Additional through lanes and dedicated turn lanes will also be added to improve the flow of traffic and reduce the likelihood of collisions.
The government plans to continue to monitor how these upgrades enhance safety for all road users. Construction is expected to begin later this month.
“The Alaska Highway is critical for all of Yukon’s road users, and these improvements will substantially improve safety,” said Highways and Public Works Minister Richard Mostyn.
“This contract also provides another example of a local company playing a role in keeping Yukon’s economy on track while improving the lives of Yukoners.”
The Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board has recommended that the Alaska Highway Safety Improvement project be permitted to proceed as proposed.
The project will be completed in three phases. This contract is broken down into two phases.
Phase 1 between Lodestar Lane and Hillcrest Drive will start this month and end in the fall.
Phase 2 is from Hillcrest Drive to Burns Road. It will start in the summer of 2021 and end that fall.
Phase 3 will take place the following summer as a new tender/contract.
The full project (three phases) will be completed in the autumn of 2022.
Uncontrolled road accesses along the highway will also be closed in an effort to improve safety and reduce collisions.
Comments (9)
Up 6 Down 2
martin on Jun 9, 2020 at 10:16 am
@Davis You have articulated your ideas very eloquently; unfortunately it does not reflect the reality I have seen in my decades of working in the private sector. One of us has a distorted view of things.
Up 7 Down 2
One One-Lesser-Voice on Jun 8, 2020 at 10:00 pm
I do hope the Hillcrest CA has most of their concerns addressed. Not a stretch to want safe places to cross a busy highway particularly with our stellar drivers.
Dirt Miner has the right to his or her view but let's move on.
Up 17 Down 2
Mr M on Jun 8, 2020 at 4:14 pm
Get ready for another cost overrun and our Government will pay up. To those living in Hillcrest I hope this is good enough and the bicyclists will actually use the cross walks and paths. I don't think that will happen. Great for families though.
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Woodcutter on Jun 8, 2020 at 12:44 pm
@dirtminer. No I work with my hands. I am not saying you're less then human because you work with your hands, I am saying your idea is stupid and violates human rights. Perhaps you should try working untrained people and see where it goes. Perhaps you injure someone, or even get someone killed, then you'd get a learning.
I can educate you, but I can't learn you.
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Dirt Miner on Jun 8, 2020 at 11:54 am
Woodcutter, how on earth is getting someone to do some work a violation of their human rights? Or are you saying that those of us who work with our hands are less than human? I'm guessing you're a gov worker, despite your clever handle.
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Woodcutter on Jun 6, 2020 at 11:32 pm
Do let's get this straight. Dirt Miner is advocating that YG violate the human rights of YG employees, force them to work for Cobalt in jobs they have no training. The idea is to enslave, force them to put themselves and us at risk. Imagine the caliber of people who give this idea a thumbs up. It makes me shudder, that perhaps one day these people win an election and there is a new normal created.
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Davis on Jun 6, 2020 at 9:51 pm
@ Dirt Miner - Sure, i agree there are some YG employees that are taking advantage of this situation, but in my experience there are just as many, if not more, private industry businesses and employed taking advantage of this situation as well, coming to YG with their hands out asking for handouts so that they can afford the payments on their new $80 thousand dollar boats...It goes around both ways..
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Dirt Miner on Jun 5, 2020 at 6:50 pm
I have an idea; all the YG employees deemed "non-essential" and working (cough, cough) from home should be lent out by YG to Cobalt to do water Cobalt needs doing.
Packer drivers, flag persons, laying geotech, you name it.
You want to get paid? Here's some work. Otherwise, be like all us other working schmucks.
Save some taxpayer dollars.
Hows about it Sandy??
Up 32 Down 7
Jc on Jun 5, 2020 at 5:31 pm
Finally. Let's get project done.