BC Highway Construction

[240glt]

^ the TCH route adds just over an hour to the place just north of Kamloops, which we go to a lot but it's actually a litte faster to take the TCH if we're headed to the Okanagan. With NW Stoney complete in Calgary getting through there is a breeze.

The amount of work they're doing on the road and bridges in Jasper is going to make it a traffic nightmare all summer, coupled with the fact that it's free in the parks this year so there'll be double the idiots parking on the middle of the highway and letting their kids run around in traffic to look at the Bighorns, Plus the drive from Edmonton to the east park gate is absolutely, hideously awful. Really that drive sucks right up until Tete Jaune Cache, but at least the roads are in better shape once you cross over into BC. The southern route is much nicer

[speedog]

The drive from Jasper to Kamloops isn't great either - with so little of it being divided 4 lane, one often finds one's self stuck in a long line behind an RV or whatever. While there is much less traffic to deal with as compared to the TCH, the very real inability to pass anyone makes it a drive that can be difficult to endure.

[240glt]

^ I find that the stretch of Hwy 5 has ample passing lanes though, it's pretty rare for me to get caught behind a slower moving vehicle for more than 5-10 minutes

The worst part are the jerks who are afraid to pass but ride each others' bumpers and don't leave room for those of us who aren't pussies to merge back in, so sometimes you' ve got no choice but to pass a number of vehicles in one shot

[flipper316]

Yikes what a mess.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/highway-1-closure-drivebc-1.4153269

[240glt]

Anyone drive the TCH from Calgary to Kamloops recently ? Google maps shows a lot of construction along the route. Heading that way in a week.. any big delays to be aware of ?

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by 240glt

Anyone drive the TCH from Calgary to Kamloops recently ? Google maps shows a lot of construction along the route. Heading that way in a week.. any big delays to be aware of ?

Did the drive last week. Tons of construction...lots of stopping for traffic control. Multiple projects for widening and paving, plus repairs and such. Lost over an hour each way, and the way back was on Sunday when no construction sites are actually working. RVs going 30 km/h under the speed limit on a straight stretch suck.

You could tell everyone was getting quite impatient...I'm a "set cruise control to 10 km/h over the speed limit" guy and was getting passed way more than usual.

[240glt]

^ thanks.. figured it would be slow due to construction.. will try to hit it off hours, but looking for a change of scenery as we've driven the Yellowhead route a million times and it's getting so dreary and boring

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by 240glt

^ thanks.. figured it would be slow due to construction.. will try to hit it off hours, but looking for a change of scenery as we've driven the Yellowhead route a million times and it's getting so dreary and boring

I never get tired of the scenery on Highway 1, and I've been on that road 2-5 times a year for almost my entire life!

[Airboy]

Talked with folks in Jasper that were doing the loop from Calgary to Van and the Back through Jasper. Said the Yellow head was great, some paving but it is easier to drive.

Did the TCH in the spring. As much as I like the change in scenery the ease of driving the Yellowhead makes that the better option for me. You are also right to drive off hours. The drive to Jasper yesterday Morning was easy, even with the construction. made it to Jasper in 3.5 hours.

[240glt]

TCH Calgary to Kamloops on the weekend. The progress they've made at Kicking Horse is impressive. Still so much work to do though, forgot how sparse passing lanes are between Field and Revelstoke. Nice to see progress in the Shuswaps as well but they need to ramp up twinning east of Chase. Lots of re-paving, scaling and passing lanes being built, luckily we drove it on Sunday so all the construction sites were shut down. Major re-surfacing west of Revelstoke, and most of hwy 24 is being resurfaced as well

[craner]

^Yeah I drove the TCH to the Okanagan on the long weekend as well.
You see the new construction and it's encouraging but then you continue on and get discouraged by the amount of 4-laning left to do. It's embarrassing that it's 2017 and this is the state of the national highway in BC.

[240glt]

If anyone is headed out on the road to the Cariboo region make sure to check DriveBC, TCH is closed from south of Cache Creek all the way to Savona due to multiple fires and 97C is closed just north of Cache Creek, just north of 100 Mile House, at Lac La Hache and at 150 Mile House due to fires.

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by 240glt

If anyone is headed out on the road to the Cariboo region make sure to check DriveBC, TCH is closed from south of Cache Creek all the way to Savona due to multiple fires and 97C is closed just north of Cache Creek, just north of 100 Mile House, at Lac La Hache and at 150 Mile House due to fires.

Yes, we were hoping to do a loop from Vancouver up 99 and down 1, but that will have to wait. Quite terrifying for the people caught up in the affected areas.

[canucklehead2]

If you could compile a top 5 list of must build projects what would it be? Hoping everyone is safe today...

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by canucklehead2

If you could compile a top 5 list of must build projects what would it be? Hoping everyone is safe today...

in no particular order:
1. twin TCH east of Golden to the Alberta border
2. twin TCH between Golden and Revelstoke
3. twin TCH west of Revelstoke all the way to Kamloops
4. grade separated ring road/bypass from Vancouver ports to the TCH. Something along the line of Highway 10 but without lights
5. twin Highway 5 from #16 to Kamloops.


I'm counting the three twinning portions of the TCH as separate projects

[DKaz]

Originally Posted by 240glt

If anyone is headed out on the road to the Cariboo region make sure to check DriveBC, TCH is closed from south of Cache Creek all the way to Savona due to multiple fires and 97C is closed just north of Cache Creek, just north of 100 Mile House, at Lac La Hache and at 150 Mile House due to fires.

I was supposed to head up to Williams Lake to do a site inspection today but that got canceled.

[240glt]

We cut our holiday short and came back from the 100 Mile House area yesterday. We were not under evacuation but with two of the three routes out of the area blocked, and with the potential for a blockade in the Little Fort area we thought best to get out in case we got trapped up there. There were reports of gas shortages as well. Hwy 24 was very busy with people leaving and now you can't go west on 24 from hwy 5, so we couldn't even get to our cabin if we wanted to at the moment. 5 was very congested all the way to Tete Jaune. The smoke where we were at up at Bridge Lake got very bad and it was bad down in Little Fort as well.

I hope everyone gets out okay and no lives are lost, I know some people have lost everything already. I spoke with a flagger while gassing up at Interlakes who lost her home on the reserve in Ashcroft. Our place is not in any direct risk at the moment but we just thought it was better to get out while we could

[Stingray2004]

Originally Posted by DKaz

I was supposed to head up to Williams Lake to do a site inspection today but that got canceled.

Just over an hour ago, Williams Lake was put under evacuation alert. Interior Cariboo Hwys must be a mess.

[speedog]

Originally Posted by 240glt

^ thanks.. figured it would be slow due to construction.. will try to hit it off hours, but looking for a change of scenery as we've driven the Yellowhead route a million times and it's getting so dreary and boring

We used to rent a cabin at Lac Des Roches for summer holidays for quite a few years and know the Caribou country a bit, have relatives who moved up there in recent years as well.

I am curious if you ever come back to Calgary via the little two lane highway from Louis Creek to Adams Lake and then down to Squilax. Not paved from Adams Lake to the mill north of Squilax but still a very good road - a nice secondary route that even shaves a bit of time off of the trip back to Calgary. We did it numerous times towing our enclosed cargo trailer with a fishing boat on top and everything always made it through in great condition.

[240glt]

^ we use that road to get over to Shuswap Lake quite a lot as we've got friends with a place in Anglemont. That's a really nice drive, does it actually save any time vs. taking the highway though ?