TWO SIGNS announcing the construction of BC Hydro’s Northwest Transmission Line have been put up near the Hwy16/Hwy113 intersection.
One is from the province and the other, reflecting a $130 million contribution to the project, comes from the federal government.
The signs are the most recent symbol of a steady ramping up of the project to build a 344km long transmission line from BC Hydro’s Skeena Substation just south of Terrace to Bob Quinn on Hwy37 North.
Construction is set to begin in earnest this spring with a completion date set for mid 2014.
Leading up to that has been the arrival of a small group of employees from Hatch, a construction management company.
“Hatch provides construction program management services,” explained BC Hydro official Lesley Wood.
“In this role, they are BC Hydro’s representative, overseeing execution of design, construction and other work in the field, to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, the terms of contract agreements and the quality and performance objectives of the project,” she said.
The Hatch people are working out of the Park Ave. Northwest Transmission Line office BC Hydro opened last spring.
Parallel to the work Hatch is doing is an environmental function being provided by Golder and Associates, another consulting company which has also been adding to its workforce.
It is to ensure that companies working on the project comply with environmental safeguards and regulations.
The actual construction and design of the transmission line is being done by Valard and Burns McDonnell, two large firms who are also having a beneficial employment impact on the area.