OK, choose your own adventure time… bear jams edition. Scenario: You and your kids are driving along one of BC’s picturesque highways (imagine the Sea to Sky, or Highway 4 to Vancouver Island’s west coast). All of a sudden, you notice a number of stopped vehicles ahead and people gathered around, their attention drawn to… what’s that?… a mother bear with her wee cub! Wow! Do you… A) Pull over slightly, tell the kids to sit put, and...
We made history achieving the longest fully automated rapid transit system in the world. We also moved it. We reached high, dug deep below, and enhanced wildlife areas along the way. Here is a collection of some of the challenges we faced and triumphs we celebrated building the Evergreen extension. Moving History – Centennial House was once the stately home to one of Port Moody’s founding City Councillors, Frederick Appleyard. One of the few remaining landmarks from the booming lumber...
Transportation mega projects mean mega activities behind the scenes. From the first inkling of an idea to project close-out, here's what goes on.
When we firsted started putting together the BC Road Trip Time Machine series, we thought they’d be interesting to share and a cool way to look back at our beautiful province 50 years ago. We’ve traveled from Duncan to Kelsey Bay, Hope to Revelstoke, the Malahat, over the Port Mann Bridge, from the U.S. border to Penticton, through Kelowna to Vernon, Chetwynd to Dawson Creek, Prince George to Mckenzie, and Nelson to Balfour. And there`s still more to come....
What better way to enjoy the long weekend than getting on the highway and enjoying our provincial back yard? So much to see. So much to do. But, with that extra day comes extra traffic, and in warmer weather, extra construction, so it’s more important than ever to make that one vital driving decision… To drive safely. Know before you go…and…pssst, we can help you with that. Here are some tips for a safe trip: Plan ahead and be...
Engineers are a creative bunch by nature. When faced with a challenging situation, their desire to find a solution is second only to the creativity and analysis they use to overcome that obstacle. The terrain of British Columbia has no shortage of dramatic and difficult terrain for our highway engineers and they are full of innovative solutions. Engineers envision highways carved out of mountainsides and bridges that span awe inspiring gulches and make those visions a reality. Some of...
If you are unable to view this video, click here to watch on our YouTube channel. We’re big fans of the maxim: “drive to conditions.” Highway travellers improve their safety dramatically by following those three words, especially in winter. Our highway engineers set speed limits based on IDEAL driving conditions – think bare, dry roads and warm, clear weather. Once factors mess with these conditions – be it fog, rain, snow… whatever – drivers should adjust by slowing...
Get in and buckle up because this episode of our BC Road Trip Time Machine is set to take you on one curvy highway – Highway 99 from Horseshoe Bay to Squamish to be exact. The “Sea to Sky” corridor is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful drives in the world, taking motorists on a dramatic route from Vancouver along the Howe Sound, through Squamish, then on to Whistler and beyond. Many improvements have been made to this highway...
According to the dictionary, a bridge is: “a structure carrying a road, path, railroad or canal across a river, ravine, road, railroad or other obstacle”. That’s a basic and accurate description of a bridge to be sure, but here at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, we think of bridges as something more than just a structure crossing a span. We think of bridges as a special type of infrastructure. Bridges inspire. Bridges open possibilities. Bridges connect. To us,...
No, the shoe-soaking shuffle displayed in the video above is not British Columbia’s answer to Gangnam Style. These moves make more sense. The crew is installing articulated matting where Charles Creek flows into Howe Sound as part of the final phase of erosion protection in the small community of Strachan Point, located between Horseshoe Bay and Lions Bay. The project was completed in fall 2014, providing the final level of protection for a Sea to Sky Highway bridge, a...
