Kelowna, British Columbia - The Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia will jointly fund up to $231 million worth of National Highway System improvements in the province, under the Building Canada Plan. Announcements will be made on a number of specific improvements in the province in the coming weeks.

The first project to be funded is construction of a nine-kilometre, four-lane highway west of the existing two-lane section of Highway 97 between Winfield and Oyama. The two governments will share the total $77.9 million cost of the project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2012.

“This investment is an outstanding example of our ongoing partnership with the federal government, and our continued commitment to deliver needed road projects throughout the province,” said B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell. “Working with the federal government, we’re enhancing B.C.’s highway system to improve safety, enhance the flow of goods and people, and tap into new opportunities in trade and tourism.”

In November 2007, the two governments signed an Infrastructure Framework Agreement under Building Canada, worth $2.2 billion, for infrastructure initiatives from 2007 to 2014.