Wildlife

Information on the work the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure does to improve wildlife safety and mitigation on our highways.

Urban Planning, Overpasses and Rest Areas – Your Questions Answered

Recently, we asked you to Tell TranBC what you wanted to know about our work. You responded with some excellent questions. Here are the answers. How does the ministry work in conjunction with municipalities and Metro Vancouver to solve problems and plan projects? The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure meets with municipalities and Metro Vancouver to discuss ideas and concerns about transportation in the region and across the province. With provincial highways and municipal routes all connected, each affects...

A Day in the Life of a Highway Underpass Wildlife Camera

A wide range of characters travel BC highways. There’s the early morning commuter, mug of hot coffee at the ready. Then there’s the commercial truck driver, riding high with an elevated view of the road. There are bus drivers, convertible cruisers, road trippers and heavy haul movers. They’ve all got places to be. But they’re not the only ones out there navigating highways. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has a network of wildlife underpasses (we also have overpasses)...

Watch for Wildlife: Stay Alert, Stay Safe and Enjoy the Drive

Part of driving responsibly is watching out for wildlife on B.C. highways. Stay alert, stay safe and enjoy the ride. Keeping an eye out for wildlife on the highway while you’re driving can prevent hazards to you both. And to help you in your travels, we’ve compiled some handy tips on how you can treat all of B.C.’s wild creatures with care and improve your safety while driving on the highway: Be extra careful in the early morning, or...

Webcam DriveBC Yukon Border BCHwy37 Highway37

Most people watch our webcams, to scope out the weather, driving and traffic conditions. But you might spot scenes of nature, beauty and movement. Webcams are versatile like that. Our most northerly webcam on Highway 37, at the border of B.C. and the Yukon, captures some cool views. It was installed last year, at the request of residents of nearby Dease Lake, and is solar powered. At this north-looking setting, border traffic includes moose, caribou and an assortment of...

The Old Kootenay River Channel Bridge, or Old Kootenay Bridge as it is commonly referred to, is just west of Creston on Highway 3. If you’ve never been there before, you can see it here on Google Maps. It’s a straight, two-lane bridge about 300 metres long and runs over the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area – a very sensitive wetlands ecosystem that’s home to a large number of hooved animals, lizards, amphibians and water birds. Like any bridge,...

The majestic moose is the second largest animal in B.C. and ranges through most of the province, with the exception of coastal areas and southern B.C.’s dry valleys. But it’s a regal beast you don’t want to get too close to. That’s why you’ll see moose warning signs posted by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure along some stretches of highway. Weighing up to 600 kilograms and standing as tall as two metres high at the shoulder, moose are...

People drive all kinds of things on B.C. highways…cars, trucks, motorcycles, vans – even cattle! Ranchers sometimes need to move cattle across or on roads, so cows can be highway travellers too. To prevent cow-car collisions, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has procedures that help ranchers drive their herd safely to its destination. The rules take into account the safety of all hoofed and wheeled highway users, because they were developed by the ministry in consultation with the...

We’ve talked about a mass migration of toads that had to cross Highway 19 north of Courtenay on Vancouver Island. Events like these are actually not uncommon in BC, and in some areas they can happen several times a year. Like near Summit Lake on Highway 6, just southeast of Nakusp. Having to cross this highway just once would be challenging enough, but these toads actually make the trip three times in their life. They spend the winter in...