After facing fires and floods that threatened to cut off their only escape route, a First Nation community west of Quesnel is finally getting a new road.
The B.C. government has announced a new route that will provide an emergency exit to Highway 16 for the Kluskus Nation settlement and those in the surrounding areas.
Officials say the road will allow for residents living west of the Blackwater River to evacuate to Quesnel or Vanderhoof in the event of an emergency and provide access to healthcare and other services Vanderhoof.
The Kluskus Nation settlement has been evacuated five times in the last thirteen years due to fires and flooding compromised access last year and this year.
Lhooskâuz Dene Chief Liliane Squinas says the bridge crossing and access road to the north side of the Blackwater River provides an emergency escape when the 4000 Road is blocked by forest fires and connect community members living in the isolated Kluskus reserves on the north side.
The $3.6 million project will see eight kilometres of new construction, including the new bridge, and seven kilometres of upgrades to existing roads.
Construction is expected to begin this summer with completion in fall 2020.
