No – this isn’t Mr. Badger of Wind in the Willows fame, nor is it the viral “Crazy ___ Honey Badger” of YouTube fame… this is the American Badger, a somewhat reclusive member of the Canadian Endangered Species list and the only badger of its kind in Canada. Keeping travellers of all kinds moving safely along our highways is our number one priority and badgers are no exception to this rule. Our wildlife underpasses (and overpasses) are popular paths...
Simply put, a hydrotechnical engineer’s job is all just water under the bridge. British Columbia rivers are dynamic and powerful systems that move large amounts of water, sediment, woody debris and ice from our mountain tops all the way to the ocean. Along this journey, the waters encounter provincial highways and roads, and that’s where we come into the picture. We asked Hydrotechnical Engineer Dan Cossette about how he and his colleagues work to keep bridges, culverts and highways...
A strange thing happens when you’re travelling BC’s highways and you head through Rogers Pass, drive a section of Highway 93, cruise alongside Long Beach near Tofino, or travel Highway 97, 133 kilometres north of Dawson Creek. You see, the ground under your tires changes… You may think that’s provincially owned and operated road beneath you…but it’s not. These stretches of road are owned and operated by the federal government’s Parks Canada Agency, which has a long involvement with the...
We’ve introduced better chain-up regulations for commercial vehicles, which will provide more clarity for professional drivers this winter. That means safer roads, too. The changes come in the wake of one of our worst winters for highway closures. Unprepared commercial trucks caused 41 highway closures because they were either poorly equipped or totally unequipped with chains. In some cases, this was due to the driver’s inability to install the chains properly. Loss of traction in winter conditions leads to...
re-mem-brance (ri-mem-‘br-ens) noun. the act or process of remembering the state of being remembered Today (Nov. 21) is National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims in Canada– a day set aside to remember those killed or seriously injured on Canadian roads. It’s also a time to consider the victims’ friends and families who are left struggling with the sudden loss of people they love. We choose not to use the word “accident” because these crashes are more often...
Starting this week, we are restricting commercial vehicles from using the far left lane northbound on the Coquihalla’s Snowshed Hill between Box Canyon and Zopkios with our No Trucks in the Left Lane pilot program (other select routes in the Interior to possibly follow). The restriction is in effect year-round. The Coquihalla Highway is one of the province’s busiest mountain passes. Both passenger and commercial vehicles rely on it as a primary connection between the Lower Mainland and the...
A feisty herd of BC mountain goats were thrilled to discover a salt patch had magically bloomed, seemingly overnight, in a bluff of trees near Nelson. They got straight to work licking the salt, with no further concern for their old salt spot along Highway 31, with its zooming traffic. This “intercept” salt lick was the brain child of the ministry’s wildlife specialist looking for ways to prevent the animals from hanging around the highway, where they are at...
We’re not the only ones who know British Columbia is a scenic place to work and play. Every year, filmmakers, actors and athletes from around the world use provincial roads and highways as backdrops for the big screen and terrain for local sporting events. With the amount of filming that is done in BC, it’s no surprise we’re known as “Hollywood North.” In 2017, the film industry generated $3.6 billion for local economies, according to Creative BC statistics. Before...
