A new contractor will take over maintenance on most of the Coquihalla this summer.

The Ministry of Transportation awarded its maintenance contract for the Nicola region to Yellowhead Road and Bridge, which will come into effect on July 1.

VSA Road Maintenance has had the contract for the region since 2004, which includes part of the Coquihalla north and south of Merritt, part of the Okanagan Connector.

A former mayor of Merritt, Neil Menard, says he hopes the new maintenance crew on the Coquihalla will lead to positive changes.

Menard was mayor until last fall. He was often critical of VSA and says Merritt city council has long been pushing the province to improve highway maintenance.

“We were very, very strong on more government for the commercial guys out on the road. We talked to (the province) about the speed limits, we talked to them about proper training for the truckers, in this country they have to be well-traing going into the mountains. We have to make sure that they did get out there before the storm,” he says.

“Their crews were great, the men were great, the employees were great, but they just didn’t seem to care. So as far as I’m concerned, my number-one concern is the safety of the travelling public especially safety of the people of Merritt who use those three stretches of highway everyday.”

The province included new requirements in that new contract, such as more patrols and more communication during storms.