What’s the difference between a closure and a delay?

A closure occurs when the highway is fully closed in both directions for one hour or longer at a given location. Closures are used to keep the public safe during work such as rock blasting.

A delay happens when traffic in one or both directions is stopped for a period of 5 to 30 minutes at a given location. When crews can confine work to one side of the highway at a time, northbound and southbound traffic takes turns using the opposite side. This traffic control method is known as “single-lane alternating traffic.”

Where can I find closure and delay information?

A key Project goal is to manage traffic flow during construction to minimize disruption and maximize the predictability of closures and delays for highway users.

The Project’s travel information tools are regularly updated with the most current information, and are based on three layers of scheduling:

1. Weekly Schedule: confirmed schedule of closures and delays to perform the current week’s construction
2. Current Seasonal Travel Planner: maximum closures and delays expected to perform the current season’s construction
3. Seasonal Travel Planner to 2009: An overview of the five construction seasons with links to the seasonal travel planner for each season.
4. Highway Closure & Delay Projections to 2009: maximum closures and delays required to complete all highway improvements by 2009
5. Traffic Updates: For up to date traffic bulletins that affect highway travel

Why are there sometimes discrepancies between these tools?

The Highway Closure and Delay Projections to 2009 are not expected to change. Because of the complex nature of the Project, however, work schedules must be reviewed weekly and seasonally. These schedules are adjusted to use the fewest closures and delays possible.

How can I double check on closures and delays just before my trip?

For current daily information, you can call the Project Information line toll-free in Canada, 1-877-4SAFE99 (1-877-472-3399), or from outside Canada call 604-815-4010 (long distance charges apply. Operators are available to answer your questions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Can I be notified of any new or unforeseen highway closures?

Yes, you can sign up for Road Alerts and receive text message alerts about significant, unexpected delays or closures. Visit www.theweathernetwork.com/roadalerts/ or text ‘Sea to Sky’ to ROADS (76237). Cost per alert is 25 cents.

How long will I be delayed when there are multiple construction sites?

During non-closure, "off-peak" periods, just remember “30-30-45.”

When closures are not in effect, traffic is coordinated between all work sites so that delays per trip add up to no more than:

• 30 minutes between West Vancouver and Squamish
• 30 minutes between Squamish and Whistler
• 45 minutes between West Vancouver and Whistler

Construction speed zones, traffic and weather conditions also affect travel time. It’s always best to plan ahead and allow extra time to reach your destination.

My travel period isn’t covered in the Weekly Update. Where can I find more information?

Depending on how far in the future you plan to travel, check the Current Seasonal Travel Planner, the Seasonal Travel Planner to 2009 or Highway Closure & Delay Projections. While crews may not use all available highway closures, it is best to plan for all possible closures and delays for your date(s) of travel.

How were the closure and delay periods determined?

The Ministry of Transportation consulted extensively over a three year period with Sea-to-Sky Corridor communities, employers, emergency response agencies, schools and many others to determine the closure and delay schedule. The public’s daily, weekly and seasonal travel patterns were confirmed to establish the least disruptive closure and delay schedule possible to complete highway improvements by 2009.

How can I get added onto the Weekly Schedule distribution list?

To receive weekly emails outlining the upcoming week's delay and closure schedule, please forward your name and email address to roadclosuresanddelays@seatoskyimprovements.ca.

Why are scheduled closures cancelled?

Scheduled closures are used to keep the public safe during work such as rock blasting. The closure ensures that there is no traffic in the work area and allows crews to clear rock and any loose material after a blast. Examples of other work requiring the use of closures includes shipping or placing large bridge girders, and digging up the highway to install large culverts.

In any area where rock blasting takes place, the crews examine the amount of rock that will be blasted and the proximity to the roadway. At this time, they will determine the length of the delay and if a closure is needed. Generally, the work starts with a number of smaller blasts (10-20 minute delays) which help to give an indication of how much rock will fall on the road and the amount of time needed to clear it away. In order to give the public enough time to plan for the closure, notification is sent out to the public ten days in advance of the work.

In some cases, as work proceeds, crews find they can direct the blast material to areas on the side of the road and less of the roadway space is needed. In this case a 10-30 minute delay is used instead of a full closure. Unfortunately, this may not be known until a day or two of the anticipated closure time. Our key goal is to minimize the disruption and maximize the predictability. Accordingly, crews try to avoid short notice of cancellations and in these events communication tools such as email notification and text messaging are used.

Scheduled closures can also be cancelled when construction in an area is completed ahead of the anticipated schedule.

Why am I not able to view the updates to the Weekly Schedule on the website?

This can be due to one of two things:

1. Your internet explorer is reading from a file that is saved on its hard drive (cached file). This is often done to improve browsing speed by running off information that is stored offline wherever possible.
2. Your firewall settings are set up so that files are run from a cached server. This set-up will be common for government agencies and larger companies that have firewalls that run external to an individual user's computer. You will have to talk to your local IT support to address this issue.

The first case can be resolved by doing the following:

• Login in the Internet
• Hit the Refresh icon (this may solve the problem- if not continue with the steps below)
• Select Tools - Internet Options
• Under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Cookies, select OK
• Then click on Delete Files, click OK
• Click on Settings
• Under the "Check for Newer Version of Stored Pages", select the box labelled Every time you start Internet Explorer
• Select Ok then Apply then Ok
• Hit the Refresh icon

Why are there partial lane closures after a section of the highway has been improved?

In an improved highway section, new lanes are opened for travellers as soon as possible. Section openings can be followed by up to six months of follow-up work, which often require partial lane closures.

Depending on the section of highway, a number of elements might need to be installed or fine-tuned to reach the road's final configuration: painted lines, reflectors and rumble strips; median or roadside barrier; road/bridge/wall drainage systems, highway signs or even traffic lights. When the roadside construction areas are cleaned up and the last audits and inspections are done, the section is complete.

What are some of the existing tools you have put in place to help combat speed during construction?

Peter Kiewit Sons' has an award winning safety program. There are currently numerous signs and banners in place alongside the highway with safety themes and messages. Signs that say, "Please Slow down - my daddy/mommy works here", with children's names below are part of this winning safety program. Those actually are the names of children whose parents work on the Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project. Other examples include: "Safety Starts with You", "Safety Rules", "All Incidents are Preventable - Zero to Hero" and "Never Walk Past an Unsafe Act".

Laser reader boards are also placed at the start of reduced speed zones to show approaching drivers their current speed.

Why must drivers keep at 50 km/h even without workers on the road?

In some cases there are workers you can't see just below the road. In most cases, there are unseen hazards. The road alignment might have been altered, the surface can be rough, or there are obstructions right next to the traffic, without the clear zone a shoulder normally provides.

Do people get impatient because the work zones are so long?

There are a lot of construction speed zones, and some of them are several kilometres long. What people should know is, keeping to 50 km/h through every construction zone only adds about 15 minutes on a trip between West Vancouver and Whistler, compared to having no construction at all.