A group of First Nations on Vancouver Island say they are 鈥渙ptimistic鈥� that Premier John Horgan鈥檚 recent visit will lead to significant upgrades to the main road, following a fatal bus crash in September.

Horgan travelled the Bamfield Main road to the Huu-ay-aht First Nations鈥� main village, down the coast from Ucluelet, on Thursday and met with members of the City of Alberni, regional district, transportation ministry, and others to discuss improvements.

Concerns resurfaced after a bus carrying students from the University of Victoria on its way to the Marine Sciences Centre at Bamfield. Two students, and 18-year-old woman from Winnipeg and an 18-year-old man from the United States, were killed.

Huu-ay-aht has been campaigning for decades to resurface the road with a mixture of asphalt, water and gravel to extend its life and protect it from moisture.

Horgan directed ministry staff to form a group with Huu-ay-aht and other stakeholders to create a plan to upgrade the road.

鈥淲e have met in a respectful way, and it is clear we are all committed,鈥� Huu-ay-aht chief councillor Robert Dennis Sr. in a news release. He called the road the 鈥渧ital link鈥� connecting his village and the science centre to the rest of the island.

Since it opened in the 1970s, Huu-ay-aht has lost eight people along the 78-kilometre logging road.

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