Is Glacier park just a passing lane? Because from the looks of it the corridor that they were digging up looked more than wide enough for a full divided freeway. Wish there was some info on that project.

Looked like a passing lane when we were through in July

I assumed when driving through that based on standard shoulder widths on the Trans Canada, at best we're looking at a passing lane. But considering the landslide issues there, it wouldn't surprise me that it doesn't even end up being a passing lane at this time. For a full barrier divided freeway, you'd want a lot more width than what they're doing now.

The Rogers Pass work is part of the Illecillewaet curve upgrades, which will be nice when it's done!

https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement...PW-16-00739720

Full set of drawings in the zip files at the bottom for the Illecillewaet Curves project.

Like Mazrim said, in the Beaver Valley, on the east side of Rogers Pass, they're just dealing with the mountain falling down and have to put the debris somewhere. That entire side of Heather Mountain is susceptible. All sorts of geological research papers out there like this one if anyone wants to geek out:

http://ftp.maps.canada.ca/pub/nrcan_...03/of_3877.pdf This one is a paper from before it reached the highway in 1999. They considered moving the highway and tunnelling even as well as a drainage system to draw surface water off the start zone coupled with just clearing the debris on an on-going basis.

http://www.geog.uvic.ca/dept2/facult...38_geog477.pdf

Woops missed phase 2 of the Illecillewaet Curves project.

https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement...PW-16-00745733

I've been looking everywhere and can't seem to find the link. It was just a small paragraph on one of the BC road construction maps, said that they were adding a passing lane.

Any more word on Kicking Horse Canyon Phase 4??
Have the NDs killed it ? :hell:
The website hasn't been updated in a looooong time. :(

Well according to this article, the four-laning is still top of mind for the NDP government.

Looks like it's going to take a lifetime, though.:D

^
^^
Hmmm ... interesting article, even somewhat encouraging.
Thanks for posting that.

Thanks for the link.

The two new interchanges will be nice, and you can see some space reserved around the next few sets of lights for future interchanges. But, once you get close to downtown Salmon Arm it is essentially clear that a free flow highway will never be built.

They also posted a video of the section through Chase. They wisely went with two interchanges.

At the very least it would be nice to one day see free flow (no traffic lights) from the western side of Salmon Arm all the way to Vancouver.

I highly doubt it. Didn't the government cancel the plan to widen Highway 1 between 216th and 264th street just so it can use that money on widening it east of Kamloops?

Historically the NDP has actually been pretty good about roadway infrastructure building. The Kickinghorse is just such a massive project, the needs of that stretch need to balanced with the needs of the rest of the province.

Given that they're moving on Site C I'd say the NDP are in full fledged spend mode at the moment

I believe that half of Kicking Horse is being paid for by the feds, no one is going to throw that away (one would hope). Construction won’t begin until 2019, so either way don’t expect to see much between now and then.

I am not too worried about highway projects in the interior, I believe even under the NDP they will continue. It is the projects in the Lower Mainland that will suffer due to the concentration of their environmentalist base. For example is site C was located on the South Coast there is a good chance that we would have seen a different outcome.

Is it because the funding hasn't come yet, or because the design will take very long?

Thanks posting those videos flipper - love those.
And thanks Metro for the KHC info.

Are there any plans for a Salmon Arm bypass in the future ?

Also, those "Protected 'T' Intersections" seem to be a uniquely BC thing.

I spotted what I think was one by Peace River:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@56.19866...2!8i6656?hl=en

The road isn't on satellite view yet so it must be quite recent.

I can think of a few of those in BC.. Hwy 5 turnoff to Vavenby, just north of Clearwater has one. Lots of logging truck traffic turns off there so it's a good application of that style of intersection.

If there is it would not be until far into the future.

Many by-passes would take precedence over that projects (Peachland bypass, Vernon bypass, Kelowna 2nd link and bypass, even the east Kamloops bypass).

I think that the protected-Ts are a good idea for lower volume intersections on rural stretches of BC highways.

FYI, here is the Chase are highway upgrade:

• Video Link

It would be nice if they also twin the section between this project and Pritchard (it runs through the Native Reserve). That would make the highway 4 lanes from Chase all the way to Kamloops.

http://www.firstnations.de/development/secwepemc.htm

From the article, you can see that the first nation would want none of that.
Worst case scenario, the 4-laned Highway 1 would have to cross South Thompson River twice (although there's Kamloops-Shuswap Road to twin).

I don't think east Kamloops needs a bypass, they just need to get rid of the intersections and run service roads down each side to a couple of actual interchanges. The only other viable option would be to run the highway over the North Thompson at around Monte Creek, and run along the north bank and connect up with Hwy 5 just east of the city.

They've been talking about a Vernon bypass on the north shore of Okanagan lake forever but that will never happen. The plan that makes the most sense is to flyover Polson Park and run 27th ave westbound and 32nd ave eastbound. I think a lot of businesses in Vernon would suffer if they bypassed the city altogether

Something definitely needs to be done about Kelowna at some point

Crossing the South Thompson would put the highway through the Kamloops First Nation, which might be problematic. Saying that, some of the interchanges along I-84 east of Portland have some of the similar restraints as the TCH in Valleyview (east Kamloops) in terms of proximity to the railway. Maybe something like this could be constructed?

Does anyone have an update on the Central Okanagan Multi-modal Corridor? It proposed a free-flow bypass through Kelowna (see https://www.kelowna.ca/sites/files/1...s-ultimate.pdf) but nothing been built.

That could work, I think the overpass at Lafarge road already looks a little like that doesn't it ?

They just need to get rid of those lights somehow.

Odd that it would just end on Spall road, you'd still have the congestion from that point to the lake to deal with. I thought that route was going to follow Glenmore Road (which was always my quick back-route to Kelowna)

They were talking about that Westside bypass that would bypass both Kelowna and Vernon but you'll never that happen either due to the Okanagan band lands over there

Because it connects to Clement Ave which would ultimately be upgraded to freeway standards and connect to a second crossing. The second crossing timeline I constantly hear is 20 years though, but congestion is certainly not going to get better with West Kelowna, the second largest city in the Okanagan, continuing to grow at a rapid pace.

Ultimate interchange at Spall Rd found in https://www.kelowna.ca/sites/files/1..._phasetwo.pdf:
https://i.imgur.com/cokjxHx.png

Never going to happen, haha

The provincial government is currently in negotiations regarding this stretch of highway (it is listed as part of the project). The fly through video is just of phase one (start 2018 complete 2019) and phase two (start 2020 complete 2023). The section through the native reserve will be phase three.

Several highway twinning projects and interchange projects have recently been built in native reserves, don't see why this band wouldn't also want enhance safety and connectivity for their community / land (especially when they are often given land in return).

Heck, just west of here the Pritchard Interchange was built largely due to pressure from the local native band because they didn't approve of the original proposed at grade intersection in that twinning project.

Even more interesting a native group in metro-Vancouver is actually supplying 3 million dollars to help with the funding of a new major interchange at Sunbury / 17 / 91.

Same with the interchanges west of the W.R. Bennett Bridge on Westbank First Nation land. I didn't know Westbank First Nation managed the construction of the Campbell Road interchange.

https://archive.news.gov.bc.ca/relea...023-000722.htm

Slightly different. With Lafarge Road, the highway dips away from the railway and Lafarge has all at-grade rail crossings (more room than in Valleyview), while the I-86 / Corbett Hill Road has a + shaped bridge where the ramps are elevated over the railway. I guess the one question is if CP would allow that constructed in their ROW?

I don't know how urgent removing the lights in Kamloops is at this point (definitely should be a long-term objective), but I think that at the very least, a jersey barrier should be added to separate the EB and WB lanes.

Then there is always the Valleyview Bypass which runs along the bluffs...

There seems so little room, though, that in order to remove the lights, some intersections just have to be closed.

The lights are only a real hassle when it's super busy through the summer, but The last few times we've driven down to Vernon in the summer it's been really slow

I've driven through there lots in non-peak time and have hit all greens. I guess it's just how much of a priority is it. But I tell you, if we take the TCH to our place at Bridge Lake next summer instead of the Yellowhead I'll take the Adams Lake shortcut that pops you out at Barriere. Between the lights east of Kamloops and the ones on 5 leaving town getting through there in the peak of summer is a pain

I would love for those lights to be removed.

There are 7 at grade intersections there.

3 diamond interchanges (or even 2) could remove all of them. The road is already 4 lanes through there. If done the Trans Canada (with the Chase upgrades) would essentially become free flow from east of Chase all the way to the coast.

I swear those lights irk my OCD in that we essentially have a large near freeway stretch disconnected by the full freeway by only a couple KMs of lights.

^ I think the frustrating part is that many of those intersections have relatively little cross traffic, so basically the whole highway comes to a halt for two or three cars be able to turn onto the highway. Even if they cut the # of lights in half it would be a huge improvement

Dug up a few concepts from back in 2000 from http://web.archive.org/web/200012150...s/ccr/maps.htm

bypass option

http://web.archive.org/web/200107011...er_juniper.gif

Comazzetto overpass

http://web.archive.org/web/200107011...ender_west.gif

Thompson overpass

http://web.archive.org/web/200107060...ender_east.gif

Highland interchange original

http://web.archive.org/web/200107011...der_centre.gif

Highland interchange improved

http://web.archive.org/web/200107012...e_improved.gif

I am so tired of all these studies, why not just build it? Especially back in 2000. Would have been done a decade ago for a much lower cost then it is today and will be in the future when it finally happens.

The upgrade of the existing highway seems like the better option.

This is BC as you know. Studies upon studies have to be done every 5 years. Until the project gets built or most likely cancelled. Gotta cater to the liberals, NIMBYS , feminists, you name it. Then of course we can't displace some abundant beetle population with the construction.

Another deadly crash through that stretch. What a joke of a national highway.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...-b-c-1.4466465

Sad to hear... Ontario Highway 17’s like that too. Tbh, though, when the segments in BC and in ON just happen to be among ugly terrains, delays are inevitable.

The provincial governments should know that they’re really working around the clock with widening TCH though.

Especially between the nation's 3rd and 4th largest metropolitan areas.

It's 2018. Many of the constructions to twin Highway 1 should begin this year. Any news yet?

Because we have a broken and expensive healthcare system to pay for first.

Hence the need to upgrade the TCH #1 to a proper modern highway.
Should have been done 30 years ago IMO.

Or right from the beginning... (I think I've said this before.)

https://globalnews.ca/news/4000785/b...t-in-sicamous/

Oh jeez another at grade intersection on a supposed to be freeway highway in BC. Shocker.

It' too bad they couldn't have extended the bridge and flown over the intersection, and put an interchange underneath the highway but the railway tracks on the other side of the highway are in the way.

unless people are okay with exiting and entering the highway from the left

Since the railway's in the way, that means the highway needs to be expanded on the other side, hopefully leaving enough room to have an interchange where people get on and off from the left. But who knows, maybe it's even less safe that way.

:hell: Why don't they consider these things?
Now is the chance to get tis right and eliminate an at grade intersection.

So frustrating. :hell:

Who's suggested such design to begin with? (Not a rhetorical question.)

$215 million? For a small bridge like that?

Why did I think that was in Chase ?

At that location, I don't really have a problem with the at-grade crossing. The highway cuts right through Sicamous there and there are numerous turn-offs on that stretch of highway, including the exceptionally busy 97A turnoff to the Okanagan.

In all reality what they should be doing is bypassing Sicamous alltogether