
The ministry of transportation will decide in the new year whether VSA Highways Maintenance will continue to hold the contract to take care of the Coquihalla and other area highways.
Thompson Nicola District Manager Trent Folk says the ministry is currently reviewing submissions for the highway maintenance contract for the region.
Folk adds whether it is VSA or someone else there will be some changes.
“Largely increased the requirements for patrols,” he said. “The use of more anti-icing chemicals in advance of snowfalls.”
“Then we have a tighter requirement to return the pavement to bare pavement on our numbered highways and higher volume side roads when temperatures are nine degrees and warmer.”
He says the other big change will require the contractor to put GPS units in snowplows and other equipment.
That’s so the ministry can track them and review storm response times.
The contract in the Nicola region expires on June 30, 2019, while in the Thompson region it expired on September 30, 2018.