A 1.4-kilometre concrete median barrier will be installed along Highway 99 in Lions Bay after years of lobbying from Sea to Sky Corridor residents and multiple serious accidents, including fatalities.
The four-lane section of highway is between Lions Bay Avenue and Brunswick Beach Road, and is currently divided by a landscaped median with decorative trees and shrubs. The project, which is expected to cost $800,000, is set to begin in April and will take several months to complete.
"Once installed, the concrete median barrier will improve safety on this busy stretch of Highway 99 by preventing head-on collisions and other crossover accidents," said a spokesperson from the B.C. Ministry of Transportation in a press release.
Reflective material will line the barrier, making it easier to see it in the rain and at night.
The stretch of highway is known has a hotspot for serious accidents that cause long traffic delays, including the death of a Vancouver man last summer after his car crossed into the oncoming lane and was struck by an SUV.
Lions Bay volunteer firefighters spend about 67 per cent of their call-out hours serving vehicle accidents along the highway, according to Lions Bay Mayor Karl Buhr.
“The median replacement through this segment is the right thing to do. This change will presumably prevent any further head-on collisions and other crossover accidents along this stretch,” said Buhr in the press release. “We still need drivers to be aware, especially since there are two-lane sections nearby with neither concrete nor landscape barrier. Despite looking like one, the Sea to Sky at Lions Bay is not actually freeway.”
The Ministry of Transportation says it will work with the province to speed up the opening of Highway 99 after an accident. Plans also include a new webcam on the highway at Lions Bay and improvement of existing street lights.
An additional $20,000 is being slated to re-plant the trees and shrubs on the current landscaped median in another location and for other landscaping in Lions Bay.
On average, 19,000 trips are made every day along this section of the highway and traffic has grown 24 per cent in five years.
