Drivers on the Sea to Sky Highway this week have been frustrated by long waits for rock scaling at Porteau Cove.
Some travellers took to social media and contacted The Squamish Chief to report waits of up to 1.5 hours, during which they were either completely stopped or moving at a crawling speed.
So far, the rock scaling has taken place during the day on July 14, 15 and today, July 16, until 4 p.m.
The Ministry of Transportation and Transit told The Squamish Chief it was required to close a portion of Highway 99 on these days for emergency rock-scaling work needed to maintain public safety.
“The scaling activities occurred in response to a rockfall incident at the Porteau Bluffs site on July 9,” a ministry spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
“The ministry’s geotechnical engineers identified a critical safety concern involving a large, unstable rock near the ice fence area. As a result, immediate rock scaling was deemed necessary to address the hazard.”
According to the ministry, safety protocols for both workers and the travelling public meant the work had to be completed during daytime hours.
While single-lane alternating traffic was implemented, with intermittent full closures for up to 10 minutes, due to high volumes of summer traffic, congestion was worse than expected, the spokesperson said.
“To alleviate this, the maintenance contractor ended work early Monday and returned Tuesday to complete the scaling. Delays to traffic were minimal Tuesday.”
The scaling work will be completed today, and single-lane alternating traffic is underway as the contractor completes repairs on the ice fence.
“The ministry thanks travellers for their patience while this work completes.”
—Original story—
If you are heading out on the Sea to Sky Highway this week, here is everything you need to know about the current road conditions.
Driving weather
Today, July 16, is set to be sunny and hot. Environment Canada is calling for it to reach 31 C, except 25 C near the water.
The UV index is 7 or high, meaning people need to protect their skin, even while driving.
"While UVA rays do not cause sunburns like UVB rays do, they actually penetrate the skin more deeply and are known to cause skin aging and skin cancer."
TranBC, an offshoot of the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit, also advises drivers to take breaks every two to three hours because heat can make for drowsy driving.
Travellers should also plan to stop and take a dip in a lake or stop at an air conditioned building, like a library or large store, to cool off along the way.
'Never leave children or pets'
TranBC offers the following alerts about taking care of your loved ones when you stop driving for a time.
"Never leave children or pets alone, for any length of time, in a parked vehicle. On a hot day, a stationary vehicle heats up extremely fast and permanent injuries or death could result. Look inside your car while you’re locking it, to make sure no one gets left behind. When it’s 27 C outside, the temperature in a parked vehicle can climb to 37 C in 10 minutes, 43 C in 20 minutes, and up to 50 C in an hour."
Prepare for the unexpected
Crashes happen on the Sea to Sky Highway, regardless of the weather.
Sometimes, there can be lengthy road closures of five hours or more, while a serious crash is investigated and cleared.
That means travellers should be prepared to be stopped for that long in the heat.
Other times, like today, there is rock scaling at Porteau Cove that slows things down for anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes.
Be sure to carry plenty of water, snacks, a pillow, blanket, car charger, and a first aid kit.
On days like today, hats and sunscreen can come in handy as well.
Watch for wildlife
Watch for wildlife, as deer, coyotes, and bears have recently been seen along or on the highway in our region.
Report any wildlife sightings or encounters to the Conservation Officer Service Hotline at 1.877.952.7277.
The Government of B.C. provides the following tips to help drivers avoid hitting wildlife on highways:
- Be extra cautious at dawn, dusk, and night—these are peak animal movement times
- Follow posted speed limits and scan the ditches for movement or for the reflection of eyes from your headlights
- Slow down when you see an animal—some animals like deer freeze in panic, while moose may run along the road
- Many animals travel in groups, so if you see one, slow down until you are well past
- Obey wildlife warning signs—they’re placed in high-risk areas based on real data
- Never swerve suddenly to avoid an animal, as this can lead to a more serious collision—brake firmly and stay in your lane
- Use high beams when possible to spot animals sooner
Forest service roads (FSR)
For full forest service road access reports, go to this provincial government site.
If you are new to driving FSRs, check out this handy guide.
Traffic events & roadwork alerts
Check out our map below, full of DriveBC events happening along Highway 99.
Click on any of the pins to see more information about each event.
Stay safe out there.
Downtown maintenance
The District says that Cleveland Avenue traffic island maintenance will continue today, July 16.
Work will take place from 6 a.m. to approximately 4:30 p.m.
"Please watch for traffic control and crews during these times," the District post reads.
Drivers should expect the following lane closures:
July 16 and 17: Crews will be working on traffic islands 2 to 5 for general maintenance work. Cleveland Avenue lane closures will be in effect while the work is being completed.
"Residents in the vicinity may hear early morning noise in the area from this work," the District post adds.
Squamish Canyon road update
The Squamish Canyon project, set to open on Aug. 1, will be closing Powerhouse Springs Road and Mamquam Falls Road today and tomorrow and again July 22, 23.
"We're upgrading to serve you better," the post reads.
Spit Road closure
The District announced on July 4 that there is a temporary road closure for Spit Rd.
"[We have] been advised that Spit Road will be temporarily closed at Culvert #2 to allow for invasive species removal," reads a District social media post.
"All work is being completed according to best management practices provided by the Province of BC and in consultation with the Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council (SSISC)."
The work will take up to two weeks to complete and it is anticipated that the road will be closed to the public through to July 18.
"Please respect road and trail closure signage. Thanks for your patience while this work is being completed!" the District said.
Gas Prices as of July 16
The removal of the motor fuel carbon tax has had an impact on local gas prices.
In Squamish today, regular gas in town is going for 159.9 cents per litre at most area stations.
Before the carbon tax was removed, gas in town was at about 178.9¢/L
(The B.C. government cancelled the carbon tax by introducing legislation to drop the rate to $0, effective April 1.)
In Whistler, regular gas is on offer for 161.9¢/L, at most local stations.
In Pemby, gas is on offer for 159.9¢/L, at AC Gas, 7432 Prospect St.
The cheapest gas in B.C., can be found at the CENTEX in Cranbrook (7470 Mission Rd), when you can fill up for 131.9¢/L, according to GasBuddy.
Duffey news
If you drive The Duffey (Duffey Lake Road—Highway 99 to non-locals), you have likely wondered if the dang road is set to be repaved anytime soon.
Well, we have the answer.
The Ministry of Transportation and Transit told The Squamish Chief that there are plans to complete 15 km of hard surfacing on Highway 99 between Cayoosh Bridge and Boulder Creek Bridges, 10 to 25 km west of Lillooet.
This work started on July 3, and runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday. The anticipated end of construction will be Sept. 12.
"The construction speed zone during construction periods will be a maximum of 50 km/hr and will remain that posted speed until the roadway has been cleaned of loose rock and debris. The zone will be single lane alternating traffic that is controlled using a pilot car," reads a letter sent by Northwest Sealcoating Company and posted to the SLRD website.
