Photo: VSA Highway Maintenance

Highway maintenance contracts are coming up for renewal in several parts of the province.

The new contracts will include increased standards for winter maintenance, expanded sweeping along cycling routes, and more communication with the public regarding rapidly changing road conditions during severe weather events, the provincial government said in a press release Monday.

But contracts won't be changing for another year in the Okanagan.

Requests for proposals went out to tender Monday for three of the province's 28 contracted service areas. Those are: Central and North Vancouver Island, and Bulkley Valley in Northern B.C.

Those contracts expire this spring, but the Okanagan's service providers all have at least another year to go on their contracts. The Thompson contract, servicing Kamloops and area, runs out this fall.

In total, 26 service-area RFPs will be posted and awarded before the existing maintenance contracts expire through 2018 and 2019, with a final RFP being posted and awarded in 2021.

The new contracts are expected to be 10 years in length, with an optional five-year extension.

Current contracts in our region include:

South Okanagan: Argo Road Maintenance, annual value $14,091,245, expires Apr 30, 2019

Okanagan-Shuswap: JPW Road and Bridge Inc., annual value $12,348,242, expires Mar 31, 2019

Nicola Valley: VSA Highway Maintenance, annual value $12,595,325, expires Jun 30, 2019

Thompson: Argo Road Maintenance, annual value $10,250,000, expires Sep 30, 2018