Highway 1 near Revelstoke will soon be looking a little wider. 

According to the province, construction is expected to begin this fall, with the goal of providing a smoother driving experience and reducing congestion on Highway 1, east of Revelstoke. 

The province selected a preferred proponent to design and build Highway 1 Jumping Creek to MacDonald Snowshed project. The plan is to expand the highway to four lanes which will reduce congestion and improve safety. Other improvements will include adding a centre median and roadside barriers. 

The project is approximately 40 kilometres east of Revelstoke. Highway 1 will be widened to four lanes over a 2.6-kilometre section between the recently completed Illecillewaet project and the Jack MacDonald Snowshed.

While there is some construction planned for the fall of 2024, the majority of the construction will be done in the spring of 2025, and completed by spring of 2028.

The estimated total cost for the project is $245 million, with the province providing $200 million and the federal government contributing the remainder as part of the New Building Canada Fund.  

While the project is exciting and highly anticipated for Revelstoke, some are questioning why the community had to wait so long for the news that this project was commencing. Doug Clovechok MLA for Columbia River-Revelstoke says the people in the region have waited too long to have the Trans-Canada Highway widened. He also said that in 2016, the then Liberals, now BC United committed to widening the highway between Alberta and Vancouver.

There were delays such as wildfires and an atmospheric river in 2021 that contributed to the delay. Funds were then allocated to repair the section of the Coquihalla that was destroyed by flood waters in November 2021.  

Clovechok also mentioned how this project is significant to the people of Revelstoke, specifically the Rogers Pass section of the highway, stating, "Any delay creates massive hassles in Revelstoke and it costs people their lives."

The province has selected three qualified teams to participate in the request for proposals (RFP) stage to design and construct Highway 1 from Jumping Creek to the MacDonald Snowshed project. It is expected that the team will be selected by the fall of 2024 with construction beginning by spring of 2025.