Fatal crash not impacting Sicamous Hwy 1 bridge replacement project

BC’s Ministry of Transportation and infrastructure has announced work will soon begin to replace the R.W. Bruhn Bridge that passes through Sicamous.

The announcement about the start of work comes a week and a half after a 25-year-old semi-truck driver accidentally drove through the bridge’s guardrail and plunged 18 metres into the river below. The driver, Raminderjeet Singh, died in the incident.

“A recent tragic incident on the bridge will not affect the scope or timing of work,” the province says in the announcement.

The province says it is investing $260 million into the project to improve “traffic flow and enhanced safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists” along the highway though the Shuswap.”

Starting this fall, 1.9 kilometres of Highway 1 will be widened to have four lanes, the bridge will be replaced with a new four-lane structure and intersections between Old Sicamous Road and Silver Sands Road.

The project includes a new multi-use path to increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists across the Sicamous Narrows and into the community.

Once the project is done, the intersection at Old Spallumcheen Road will be closed on Hwy 1 and replaced to eliminate left turns through that stretch of road.

Plans for the bridge replacement have been ongoing since 2018 and the federal government is providing $91.1 million towards the project.

Traffic access through the site will be impacted during construction and people are encouraged to check DriveBC for closures.

No completion date has been announced at this time.