Highway 5 Reinstatement Project

In November 2021, critical highway infrastructure in BC was significantly damaged after torrential rainfall. Highway 5 between Hope and Merritt was completely closed, with six collapsed bridge spans and abutments and 24 sites impacted by debris or washout.

To complete permanent repairs, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) chose the Alliance delivery model, the first use of an Alliance on a transportation project in BC, in which the project owner, contractor and designer form an integrated project team to optimize delivery. The Highway 5 (three bridges) project was executed by the Coquihalla Alliance Team comprised of owner MoTI, and the KEA5 Partnership – Kiewit and Emil Anderson as the constructor and Kiewit as the designer.

In less than two years, the team designed and constructed six new permanent bridge crossings – Juliet, Jessica, and Bottletop Bridges – under budget, ahead of target schedule and with strong inclusion of local and Indigenous businesses. In addition to incorporating climate change resilience, more than 4,500 native plants were planted at these bridge sites to help return the environment to its natural landscape.

The Highway 5 Reinstatement Project in British Columbia was recognized with two prestigious industry awards. The first was the 2024 Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) Infrastructure Achievement Award and an Award of Merit for Transportation & Bridges from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies British Columbia (ACEC-BC).