Much like intersections controlled by stop signs or traffic lights, roundabouts are an effective way to safely manage intersecting vehicles and pedestrians going their various ways. We can all agree using turn signals at stop signs and traffic lights is a simple and straightforward way to let others know where we’re going. Turning left? Flick on the left turn signal. Turning right? Activate the right. Going straight? Chill, and wait for your chance to continue on your way. Safe...
If you’ve visited us here before, you probably know that sometimes, we like to kick it old school. We throw it back here, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with pictures, video and stories about how the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure helped play a role in the development of beautiful British Columbia. We’re proud of our history. In fact, some of our older ministry staffers refer to “Highways Department” folks (our old name), as bleeding orange and white...
Sometimes, it can be a dog eat dog world out there, and that seemed to be the case for five pups caught in the chaos of this summer’s BC wildfire in the Cariboo area. When a wildfire evacuation order was issued for Williams Lake this summer, five furry pups found themselves stuck in between a rock and a hard place. Their family had children who needed to be evacuated which meant there wasn’t room for the pups to tag...
The wildfires that ravaged the interior of BC this summer are the worst our province has ever seen. More than 1,200,000 hectares of the province have been impacted by wild fires – surpassing the 1958 record of 856,000 hectares. At the peak of the emergency so far – thousands of people were evacuated from their homes, many vital sections of our transportation network were closed and a thick blanket of smoke hung across our province – giving us all...
Customer service is a major part of what we do at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. From maintaining highways to handling development approvals, our goal is to provide the best service we can. Of course, there’s always room for improvement. That’s why we’re asking you to help make us better by taking our 16th annual Customer Satisfaction Survey, open from July 22 to September 30. Last year, we received more than 3,350 responses from folks across the province, including 345 face-to-face...
Many BC wildfires occur far from cities and towns, but sometimes they threaten homes, businesses and infrastructure, such as highways and bridges.With hundreds of wildfires heating up around the province and not showing any signs of cooling down soon, we thought a roundup of wildfire preparedness tips and evacuation information was in order. We asked our friends at PreparedBC for more information and they shared all of the handy and helpful tips below to help you prepare for a...
What the heck is a Geoscientist and how does the work they do help highway travel in BC? It’s National Geoscience and Engineering Month in Canada and to recognize that, we reached out to Alexandra McGladrey, G.I.T. to chat and learn more about the great work that our she and other geoscientists on staff do. Alexandra joined the ministry through our Engineer-In-Training/Geoscientist-In- Training program and gave us tonnes of great insight into the role… March is National Engineering and...
We take the safety of the travelling public very seriously and so do our maintenance contractors. Have you ever wondered what exactly we expect from them and how they meet our expectations? We spoke with Joe Wrobel, president of JPW Road and Bridge Ltd, to get the scoop on the many ways they work to keep you moving safely through the Sicamous and Salmon Arm area. TranBC: Could you tell us – what does a day in the life...
Rushing rivers and soaring mountains make for a beautiful road trip, but when it comes to widening and improving highways, those same breathtaking features can pose an incredible challenge. Few highways in BC are more beautiful or challenging than the Kicking Horse Canyon along Highway 1. Constructed through Kicking Horse Pass in 1962 and following basically the original Canadian Pacific Rail route, this portion of the Trans-Canada Highway reaches its highest point at an elevation of 1,643 metres or...
“I was in a hurry.” That was the excuse a Vancouver Island driver gave when one of our CVSE officers stopped him on the Malahat for driving with a mere “porthole” of snow cleared from his windshield. The officer issued the driver a $368 fine and didn’t let him continue driving without clearing all the snow off his vehicle. When we tweeted the photo, many of you were shocked: What’s worse, this isn’t just a one-off occurrence. Surrey RCMP...
