Deal reached on Sea to Sky: Highway project worth $600 million to be completed before Olympics
Gordon Hamilton
Vancouver Sun
11 June 2005

The provincial transportation ministry's Sea to Sky Highway Improvement Project and successful bidder S2S Transportation Group have reached a final agreement to design, build, finance and operate the Olympic road-building project between West Vancouver and Whistler.

The ministry announced Friday it is to be responsible for $200 million of the $600-million project cost while S2S Transportation Group, a consortium of companies formed specifically for the road-building project, will build the rest at a cost of $400 million.

S2S Transportation group was chosen as the contractor March 4. It is the single largest highway contract ever awarded by the province, said Sea to Sky Highway Improvement Project executive director Peter Milburn. The improvement project, an agency within the ministry of transportation, is responsible for advance work now under way, buying up land along the project right-of-way, and for the cost of administering the project.

"This is the largest single contract in the history of transportation for highways," said Milburn. "The Island Highway totalled up to more money than this, but it was broken up into a number of pieces. This is done as one large contract."

He said it will not be a toll highway.

S2S Transportation group is to design and construct the highway improvements and maintain the system. It will assume most of the construction, maintenance and operating risks.

Frank Margitan, area manager for Peter Kiewit Sons Ltd., the lead designer and builder within the consortium, said the consortium's $400-million share of the project will be completed in time for the Olympics.

The completed project is to include:
- Four lanes from Horseshoe Bay to Lions Bay.
- Two lanes from Lions Bay to Porteau Cove.
- Three lanes from Porteau Cove to Squamish.
- Four lanes within urban Squamish.
- Three lanes from Squamish to Whistler.

This is awesome news...........btw, is Eagle Ridge Bluffs overland or tunnel? I'm hoping that it's tunnel.


"This is the largest single contract in the history of transportation for highways," not anymore with Gateway. :D

Eagle Bluffs better be overland, else it'll cost another couple hundred million dollars.

about time

The article says it is the largest contract, not the largest project – pointing out the inland Island Highway as an example of a bigger project. They haven't decided contracts for any of the gateway project improvements have they? It seems unlikely they would give the whole project to one consortium; all the parts aren't being built at the same time, if at all.

i love the inland island highway. i love driving it. there is virtually no traffic on it until you hit the parksville area.

enough about that.

but it's 'bout time the ball starts rolling. it's taken too long as it is.

Yea It's pretty ridiculously nice. It seems excessive right now. and what is the limit? 140?

^The limits only 110 on the section between parksville and Campbell River, but it could easily be raised!

Aerial of Eagle Bluffs (Rest of it on the other side of the hill)

http://img58.echo.cx/img58/2232/1792zq.jpg

The area's so pretty! It would be a pity if we spend an extra couple hundred million dollars just to build a tunnel and lose the amazing highway view. :(

Is the 4 lane stretches divided or undivided. Also to bad the part right out of Vancouver that is on the side of the mountain is only 2 lanes they should do what they did and Colorado and terrace the highway and create a 4 lane divided one.

^ Thats the upper levels highway (part of hwy1) its 3 lanes each way and doesnt need anymore its the largest hwy by number of lanes in Vancouver. They are planning to make the rest of highway 1 4lanes both ways for 2010 by twinning the portman bridge.

so, what are they going to do about eagle bluff? are they going to blow up the whole hill?? i'm just curious to what is going to be done.

West Van rejects Eagle Ridge plan
Council sees pictures, vote no to province's proposal for Sea to Sky near Caulfeild

Darah Hansen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, December 13, 2005

WEST VANCOUVER - District mayor and council voted unanimously Monday night to reject the province's plans to build a 2.4-kilometre stretch of new highway from Caulfeild to north of Horseshoe Bay, saying the proposal is both environmentally and socially unacceptable.

"The pictures here confirm our worst fears," said Mayor Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, after viewing a series of computer renderings showing the potential impact the proposed $130-million four-lane highway will have on West Vancouver communities.

"This is a disgusting impact on the environment, on the community and on our sensitivities and intelligence," said Coun. Bill Soprovich.

The renderings were put together by Stewart Bethune, a West Vancouver resident, and presented Monday night to council by Bethune and other members of the community group, the Coalition to Protect Eagle Ridge Bluffs.

In an interview, Bethune said he put the three-dimensional renderings together based on engineering information made available by the Ministry of Highways.

According to Bethune, the renderings show, for the first time, what the highway proposal will look like. To date, he said, information provided by the ministry on the project has been two-dimensional and "very difficult" to interpret.

Bethune's renderings show unsightly clearcuts and rip-rapping along the cliffs that overlook Horseshoe Bay.

Among their list of concerns, members of the Eagle Ridge coalition said they fear the new highway will destroy the area's sensitive eco-system, including an arbutus bluff listed by the Ministry of Environment as in danger of extinction and several "culturally modified" cedars (trees that have been stripped of bark or wood by native Indians).

The proposed new route also threatens to damage the Larson Creek wetlands, an area of about two hectares located near the BC Ferries' tollbooths that is home to various amphibians, including the rare red-legged frog, said Stephen Jenkins, environmental coordinator for the District of West Vancouver.

In an interview, Jenkins said the red-legged frog is protected by the province, and though the city has documented its existence in the wetlands, the province did not include it in its environmental review of the area done in preparation for the highway development.

Jenkins said the district has asked the province to revise its plans and provide a significant buffer between the new highway and the wetlands, but, so far, has had no response.

Area residents also said they were concerned about safety along the new highway, which is part of the Sea to Sky Highway improvement project in preparation for the 2010 Olympic Games.

About 100 residents attended the meeting, many of whom stood up to urge the council to oppose the ministry's plan and to demand that the province come up with a more acceptable option.

"Unlike the Joni Mitchell song, we do know what we've got and it's the Ministry of Highways that's determined to pave over our paradise," said Aline Brown, secretary of the Western Residents' Association.

Resident Jason Leask called for immediate action.

"We're already two years too late," he said. "The province is no longer examining options and they have signed a contract for this [expansion] to go ahead."

Council agreed the ministry's current highway proposal is unacceptable and has asked for a face-to-face meeting between Goldsmith-Jones and Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon to discuss options.

dahansen@png.canwest.com

SEA-TO-SKY HIGHWAY SECTION OPENS 1.5 YEARS EARLY


NEWS RELEASE

Dec. 14, 2005

Ministry of Transportation

A new four-lane section of the Sea-to-Sky Highway is open more than a year-and-ahalf
ahead of schedule, Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon and West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA
Joan McIntyre announced today.

“This remarkable achievement means vastly improved highway safety for residents and
visitors,” said Falcon. “Innovative construction moved the project forward quickly, delivering a safe
and modern highway in very challenging terrain.”

The $39-million section of the highway, from Ansell Place north of Horseshoe Bay to the
Village of Lions Bay, was originally scheduled for completion in August 2007.

“Any initiative to increase safety on the Sea-to-Sky Highway is very welcome,” said McIntyre.
“I would like to thank everyone involved for moving this project along rapidly, ahead of schedule, and
for making our corridor safer for both residents and visitors. I would also like to specifically thank the
public for their patience and support of the project while the work was being conducted.”

“Lions Bay residents use this section of road frequently, for commuting to the city and for
school and shopping in West Vancouver,” said Lions Bay Mayor Max Wyman. “With these impressive
improvements, we look forward to an era of safer travel, as well as to improved links with
communities up and down the Sea-to-Sky corridor.”

The improved highway includes a concrete barrier, separating north and southbound traffic
along the seven-km section. Several construction innovations have also been applied to the section:
• Cantilevered structures, partial bridges, and composite retaining walls on the down-slope
side of the highway to minimize traffic disruptions that would result from large rock
excavation on the up-slope side;
• Use of modular bridge and retaining wall structures that allow for quicker installation;
• Multi-stage construction allowing traffic to be managed through work sites, thus
minimizing delays.

The innovations will continue to be applied on the Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project
where appropriate, and may be applied on challenging highway projects in other jurisdictions
worldwide.

From Horseshoe Bay to Squamish, the Sea-to-Sky Highway carries an average of 13,700
vehicles per day. From Squamish to Whistler, it averages 7,700 vehicles per day. There are 300 crashes
on the highway each year, substantially higher than the provincial average for comparable roads.
Safety improvements are expected to result in 30 per cent fewer collisions.

The Province is investing $600 million to improve the highway and meet population growth
and increasing travel demands. The Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project includes widening,
straightening, passing lanes, improving sightlines, and other measures to improve the highway’s safety,
capacity and reliability.

The project will be completed by fall of 2009.

A downloadable map of the Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project is available online at www.seatoskyimprovements.ca.

From the Ministry of Transportation Website:

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca/Photo_Gallery/pages/STS_Photo_20_pg.JPG

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca./Photo_Gallery/pages/STS_Photo_24_pg.JPG

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca./Photo_Gallery/pages/STS%20test%2002_pg.jpg

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca./Photo_Gallery/pages/STS%20test%2016_pg.jpg

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca./Photo_Gallery/pages/STS%20test%2012_pg.JPG

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca./Photo_Gallery/pages/STS%20test%2008_pg.JPG

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca./Photo_Gallery/pages/STS%20test%2006_pg.JPG

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca./Photo_Gallery/pages/STS%20test%2007_pg.JPG

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca./Photo_Gallery/pages/STS%20test%2019_pg.JPG

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca./Photo_Gallery/pages/STS%20test%2018_pg.JPG

http://www.seatoskyimprovements.ca./Photo_Gallery/pages/STS%20test%2017_pg.JPG

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/8196/01mm.jpg

wow ug-fest. That huge slash through the mountainside certainly is minimized disturbance. It looks steep too… were these the drawings from the community or MOT?

Grisly new images. EagleridgeBluffs.ca (http://www.eagleridgebluffs.ca/) to see larger.
http://www.eagleridgebluffs.ca/images/S2SInterchange.jpg
http://www.eagleridgebluffs.ca/images/S2SHighwayfromAbove2.jpg
http://www.eagleridgebluffs.ca/images/S2SHighwayfromBelow2.jpg

i used to work for kiewit! if it werent for me going back to school, i would be there right now working on it!

Wonderwall those pictures you posted aren't offical are they? Because they look poorly done. The ones posted by MrX look alright though.

Wonderwall those pictures you posted aren't offical are they? Because they look poorly done. The ones posted by MrX look alright though.
No they're from the site quoted; the group opposed to the overland route. Keep in mind the ones from MOT [Mr.X] have trees in them—that apparently grew instantly upon completion (since I doubt they'll be planting anything in an appreciable way)—and the grass is greener with the new alignment…

No they're from the site quoted; the group opposed to the overland route. Keep in mind the ones from MOT [Mr.X] have trees in them—that apparently grew instantly upon completion (since I doubt they'll be planting anything in an appreciable way)—and the grass is greener with the new alignment…


I wouldn't be surprised if attractive landscaping is planted, since that's an essential checkpoint for tourists via Whistler. It would be embarassing for the government if this detail was left unattended to.

Also, even though the green is a bit of an exaggeration, the sketches by the EagleRidge Coalition is even more biased with their portrayal of the area post-construction as a giant mud pile.

Personally, given that the area would be enroached with McMansions if the overland route does not proceed, I do not see how nature will be perserved in the end. Funny how the West Van NIMBYs contradict themselves.

Whey do they even need this overland route. Isn't the Sea to Sky wide enough here?

Whey do they even need this overland route. Isn't the Sea to Sky wide enough here?

It is meant to bypass the Horseshoe Bay area and the BC Ferries terminal. There are sharp turns and traffic snarls around that area, and the new route would avoid it.

If the overland route is chosen, four lanes would be built. The tunnel option on the other hand is 2 lanes.

For a ground level view of the area:
http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BC1W_99N/Hwy_1W_99N_1.htm

Road to 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver paved with controversy

VANCOUVER, Canada, Feb 24, 2006 (AFP) - The end of the Winter Olympic Games in Turin Sunday will be marked by protests in this future host city over possible environmental damage from upcoming construction projects, protest organizers told AFP Friday.

They are upset over the planned sacrifice of ecologically sensitive forests and wetlands to make way for a highway expansion between Vancouver and the Whistler ski resort 125 kilometres (78 miles) north, said Dennis Perry, a spokesman for the group.

Several sporting events will be held in Whistler during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The 130-million-dollar (113-million-US-dollar) road project is set to begin next month, despite a barrage of criticism and a volley of insults between opponents and the provincial transport minister, each accusing the other of "falsehoods" and "deceit".

Over 500 protesters are expected at the site Sunday just as the Olympic flag is handed over to Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Games in Italy, Perry said.

And, more "civil disobedience" will follow during construction to widen a 2.5-kilometre (1.5-mile) stretch of the Sea-to-Sky highway, he said.

Over 69 hectares of Eagleridge Bluffs, located on the mountain above Canada's most affluent city will be destroyed to build the four-lane highway.

Protesters claim 200-year-old trees will be chopped down once the logging commences in March.

Endangered frogs and lizards have been put at risk by the route, and a rare upland bog will be affected too, they said.

The group had asked the provincial government to consider building a tunnel through the mountain or expand the existing highway below the bluffs by one lane instead, but were denied.

"This breaks the sustainable Olympics promise," Perry said. "We would not have won the Games without it and it just shows the promise to be a sham."

British Columbia province's transport minister, Kevin Falcon, said a majority who attended a series of community meetings in 2004 favored the route now planned and he rejected the tunnel option as too costly and unsafe.

"We will be adhering to the strictest environmental guidelines," he said. "Both the tunnel and (the overland route) had environmental impacts. The tunnel would have impacted salmon runs as well as (the bog)."

"This route is by far the safest option and to me saving lives and public safety is the most important thing," he said.

Falcon added that there are abundant examples of the ecosystem that would be lost along the rest of the route, which currently has one of the worst safety records in the province.

Maureen Douglas of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics organizing committee refused to comment on the government's road expansions plans as "it isn't (our) project."

No, they arn't offical...those are the ones from the NIMBY group opposed to it. Mr. X's are the offical ones.

Well-heeled plan protest
WEST VANCOUVER I Bankers and professionals are among those demanding that a tunnel be built to save Eagleridge Bluffs

Lori Culbert
Vancouver Sun

Saturday, April 15, 2006

CREDIT: Stuart Davis, Vancouver Sun
Terry Ingram took his sons Miles, 5, (foreground) and Conner, 7, for one last walk through the forest near the highway project at Eagleridge Bluffs in West Vancouver.

WEST VANCOUVER I Retired investment banker Dennis Perry is ready to pitch his tent Monday night in the slopes above West Vancouver, as he and other professionals stage an urban protest to try to stop the expansion of Highway 1 through Eagleridge Bluffs.

Although B.C. is a province with a rich history of demonstrations against the destruction of environmentally sensitive areas, this protest is truly unique.

Most members of Perry's grassroots group, the Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs, are not card-carrying environmentalists who plan to chain themselves to trees on remote logging roads; they are, instead, bankers, physiotherapists and other professionals erecting a tent city in West Vancouver -- one of the most exclusive communities of million-dollar homes in Canada.

They hope their unusual demonstration will shame the provincial government into changing its plans to build an expansion of the highway through the scenic bluffs above Horseshoe Bay. The group argues a tunnel, or a third lane added to the existing route, would protect the environment and the view.

"This may be unprecedented globally for this major issue to be erupting almost downtown in one of the most beautiful cities in the world," said Perry.

The coalition, which has been fighting the province for three years, is comprised of many West Vancouver retirees -- most of whom have never joined protests before or been in trouble with the law.

"These are average people. You're going to see a preponderance of older people, grandmas and grandpas who aren't afraid to say no," said Perry. "There's many who are prepared to be arrested, but that's a personal choice. We don't know what is going to happen, we don't know what the government is going to do."

Although new to the demonstration game, the Eagleridge bluff protesters, are determined to be in this for the long haul because they can go home for showers and drop into local restaurants for food.

"This is an urban setting. This isn't the wildness of Clayoquot Sound. We will be able to go back and forth to our homes," said Perry, the father of three daughters.

"We can jump in the car and go down to the road to Starbucks. We will always be reasonably clean and not hungry."

Perry estimates there will be "dozens" of people pitching tents Monday night to occupy the bluffs above Horseshoe Bay. One of those will be Trish Panz, a physiotherapist and mother of two teenage children, who never imagined this fight would go unresolved and lead to such a demonstration.

Panz, who has "never, never" taken part in a protest before, said it was a difficult decision to leave the warmth of her own bed to sleep in a cold, lumpy tent. But she believes her "well-educated community" has a responsibility to take a stand to preserve the environment.

"I think that what's very interesting about this situation, is this is an urban community and this is a group of professionals --engineers, investment bankers, teachers and lawyers -- that are saying no," Panz said.

"This is a new evolution in many ways. I think that this is somewhat precedent-setting: having a blockade, having a situation where people are willing to stand up in an urban centre."

When asked if she is willing to be arrested over this demonstration, Panz responded: "We've all obtained legal counsel on that issue and I'll leave it at that."

Indeed, the group of neophyte protesters even took a course on civil disobedience so they could learn some tricks of the trade.

One of their teachers was well-known protester Betty Krawczyk, a great-grandmother who served several months in jail in 2003 and 2004 for blockading a logging road in the Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island. Krawczyk could have avoided jail time by signing a promise not go near logging operations, but she refused.

The group also has the support of West Vancouver Mayor Pam Goldsmith-Jones, who posed nude in a fundraising calendar put out by the coalition and provided city hall-funded public relations advice for the group.

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon has maintained in the past that environmental and safety studies back the province's plans for the "overland route," and has dismissed the coalition as a small group of people.

Falcon wasn't available for comment Friday, but his spokesman Mike Long said the government must balance the right of the coalition to protest with the need to ensure construction workers can safely carry out their jobs.

One of the options available to the province is to try to get a court injunction to have the protesters removed. When asked if the protesters could face arrest, Long said: "we're prepared to do what it takes so that work can continue."

The realignment of the highway above Horseshoe Bay is part of a $600-million safety upgrade between West Vancouver and Whistler, which will be completed by the 2010 Olympic Games.

The coalition chose Monday for the beginning of the protest because it predicts logging and blasting will start Tuesday. Long said preparatory work has been underway for two weeks, but that he did not know when major demolition is slated to begin.

Perry's group is holding a demonstration at 5 p.m. at the Eagleridge Bluffs parking lot off the highway's Exit 2, before erecting their tents at 6 p.m. Traffic will not be blocked during the protest.

Perry, who ran as a Green Party candidate in the provincial election to fight the highway construction plans, but has since stepped down as the party's deputy leader, claims the coalition has the backing of thousands of supporters from across the Lower Mainland and other areas of B.C.

He remains confident his unusual group of protesters can garner enough public support to change the government's plans. "We're going to stop it. I'm 100 per cent sure."

lculbert@png.canwest.com

THE PROVINCE

- Maintains the best option is a four-lane overland route with a median divider.

- Says the chosen alignment will save lives.

- Argues the route received a rigorous joint federal/provincial environmental approval.

- Notes West Vancouver challenged the approval in court and lost, and must now reimburse the province hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

- Disagrees with West Vancouver council, which claims there has been a lack of public consultation, arguing there were 34 public meetings and open houses on the disputed section of the road.

Source: Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon

THE COALITION TO SAVE EAGLERIDGE BLUFFS

- Believes a four-lane tunnel, or adding a third lane to the existing route, would be less invasive.

- Argues the overland route will destroy the habitat of the "endangered red listed Arbutus ecosystem and rare red legged frog."

- Disagrees the overland route will be safer, claiming the highway will have "narrow lanes, tighter curves, grades up to eight per cent, designed to only minimally acceptable safety standards."

- Says the overland route will break B.C.'s promise to hold a "sustainable" Olympic Games.

- Disagrees that the overland route has been proven to be the cheapest option.

Source: www.eagleridgebluffs.com

Ran with fact boxes "THE PROVINCE" and "THE COALITION TO SAVE EAGLERIDGE BLUFFS", which have been appended to the end of the story.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006

If they want a tunnel so bad - they should pony up the extra cash - I for one am not prepared to pay the extra for it.

If they want a tunnel so bad - they should pony up the extra cash - I for one am not prepared to pay the extra for it.

Exactly. Its quite clear they care little about the impact on nature (its more of an excuse) and rather a NIMBY issue. Where is Wally when you need him? ;)

You understand you can e-mail people on this site! Perhaps you should e-mail Wally? :)

Its funy because the Eagle Ridge bluf area is zoned for single family housing, 3,000 homes I believe(might be more actualy). These NIMBY's are all bs.

yes I'd much rather live next to a 4-lane highway than single family houses.

I'm pretty sure there's more green space in a single-family housing area than in a highway.

Its funy because the Eagle Ridge bluf area is zoned for single family housing, 3,000 homes I believe(might be more actualy). These NIMBY's are all bs.

True, and seeing that West Vancouver has a horrible track record of building ugly McMansions that leaves large seething scars on the beautiful Coastal mountains, I don't see how a 4-lane highway could inflict more damage in the area than a new suburban housing tract.

yes I'd much rather live next to a 4-lane highway than single family houses.

I'm pretty sure there's more green space in a single-family housing area than in a highway.
But a highway takes up much less space than 3000+ homes.

If West Vanners want to save Eagle Bluff Ridge... Fine... More power to ya... As long as things get done right and the area is declared a no build zone. I'll personally beat them away with sticks if they decide to put up even a few homes.

Has anyone here actually been up to Eagle Bluff Ridge? I think that once you do (I went up last summer), your perspective will change. It truely is such a beautiful place... Awesome views of the city. Its beauty alone should be reason enough to save it... Not this "ooooh let's save the froggies!"