Highway 16 - 2nd Avenue and McBride Street Intersection Improvements

The Highway 16 - 2nd Avenue and McBride Street Intersection Improvements project is located within the City of Prince Rupert. This project was identified in a corridor study, with preliminary investigations and options analysis done in 2017.

The project includes the construction of a new roundabout, bringing major safety improvements, better pedestrian access and smoother traffic flow to Prince Rupert.

Work on the roundabout also includes a new 3-metre multi-use pathway as well as accessibility, signage, lighting and transit improvements. Some of these enhancements include:

• Bicycle ramps
• 10 new LED streetlights
• 2 new bus passenger shelters
• New crosswalks with push-activated flashing beacons and safe splitter-islands (refuges)
• Modern tactile walking surface indicator mats to improve accessibility and alert people with vision impairments of the street crossings

We are also working closely with the City of Prince Rupert to bring much-needed improvements to municipal infrastructure along the provincial right-of-way at this intersection.

Project benefits

This project is a priority given its ability to meet government mandates of reducing greenhouse gases, promoting active transportation, and stimulating the rural economy, and will be a major contribution to overall efforts of the City of Prince Rupert to revitalize its downtown.

This project will represent significant improvements for drivers and pedestrians in this busy urban area, offering a safer alternative to the current three-way intersection at the location.

In addition to transportation benefits that the intersection upgrades provide, the project is working with the City of Prince Rupert to bring much-needed improvements to underground water, storm and sewer infrastructure along the Provincial right-of-way at this intersection.

Project cost

The total project budget is $18 million and includes the municipal infrastructure in Prince Rupert’s jurisdiction, with a contract recently awarded to IDL Projects Inc.

Project schedule

Construction on the intersection is expected to begin this spring, with project completion expected in fall 2026.