If you are heading out on the Sea to Sky Highway this weekend, here's what you need to know before you hit the road.
Today's driving weather
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the Sea to Sky Corridor from Saturday to early next week.
“Daytime highs are expected to be in the high 20s to low 30s with overnight lows in the low to mid teens,” the statement reads.
The weather often changes along the Sea to Sky Highway; drivers are warned it is a mountain pass, after all.
ICBC offers the following advice for drivers: Maintain a safe following distance. In good weather, stay at least two seconds behind the vehicle ahead of you or three seconds on a highway. In bad weather [like rain], increase your following distance to four seconds.
May long weekend good news
BC Highway Patrol is celebrating that for the first time in at least six years, the Victoria Day long weekend did not have a single fatality on B.C. roads, including on the Sea to Sky Highway.
BC Highway Patrol officers were out in force and caught quite a few drivers before they could cause a problem.
As part of their high visibility campaign, officers:
- Wrote over 1,900 speeding tickets province-wide;
- Impounded 79 vehicles due to excessive speeding.
In our region generally—we are part of the South Coast/Lower Mainland region—more than 2,500 tickets were given out; 122 of those were for excessive speed and resulted in a vehicle impound.
Squamish's Cpl. Cheryl Weeks, who is the unit commander for the local division of BC Highway Patrol, told The Squamish Chief that there were more patrol officers out in the Sea to Sky over the weekend, more high visibility signage, and strategic enforcement at certain times and locations.
"I’m not sure people noticed, perhaps because May long weekend went so smoothly, but we did not have any accidents on the [Sea to Sky Highway] over the entirety of the long weekend," she said.
Well done, all! Hopefully, we can repeat that this weekend.
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 tells 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 will occur this year at a time yet to be determined.
So, that is something!
Now onto other things to know if you are driving in the Sea to Sky today.
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
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.
Gas Prices as of June 6
The removal of the 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. That is the cheapest in the corridor.
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 the CO-OP at 2101 Lake Placid Rd.
In Pemby, gas is on offer for 161.9¢/L, at most area stations.
For comparison, according to Gas Buddy, some of the cheapest gas in B.C. is in Prince George at the Super Save Gas, located at 950 Victoria St. which is going for 128.9 ¢/L.
