Sea to Sky Highway not Affecting Whistler access

Sea to Sky Highway Construction not Affecting Access to Whistler

As highway safety and capacity improvements continue to progress on the Sea-to-Sky Highway in time for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Tourism Whistler officials want to assure visitors the highway to Whistler remains open with minimal travel disruption to the mountain resort located 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Vancouver.

“There is a perception among some people that road construction on the Sea-to-Sky Highway will impact their travel plans but, in fact, the project has minimal effect on travel to Whistler,” said Arlene Schieven, Vice President, Marketing for Tourism Whistler. “The highway improvement project is making excellent progress, with no scheduled construction closures during the winter, and no daytime or weekend closures during summer.”

Through the remainder of summer, the highway has no daytime or weekend closures. Beginning September 21 there will be one-hour delays Monday through Thursday, but no weekend closures Friday through Sunday. There will be no scheduled road closures for the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend November 24-29, and no winter closures from December through February.

Tourism Whistler continues to work closely with the Ministry of Transportation on consultation and project updates to minimize impact to travelers. The organization encourages people to check the highway schedule, which is linked from Whistler's Official Web site mywhistler.com, as part of their trip planning.

Rated one of the most scenic drives in North America, the Sea-to-Sky Highway features dramatic ocean and mountain views along with rainforest, waterfalls and rivers. The drive through this spectacular Coastal region is a key aspect of visiting Whistler, and can be experienced by car, scheduled shuttle services or a variety of personalized shuttle services from Vancouver International Airport or downtown.

British Columbia’s Ministry of Transportation is undertaking the highway project to improve safety and reliability. The Sea-to-Sky Improvement Project will continue through 2009 in time for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, making travel safer along the corridor for residents, tourists and commuters. The improvements are slated to meet population growth, economic development and overall travel demands in the corridor until 2020, with additional improvements phased in as required over approximately 20 years.

Improvements will include highway widening and straightening, improved sightlines, passing lanes, and other measures to reduce hazards, shorten travel times and increase capacity of the Sea-to-Sky Highway. The work will result in the following lane configuration: four lanes Horseshoe Bay to Lions Bay; two lanes Lions Bay to Porteau Cove; three lanes from Porteau Cove to Squamish; four lanes within urban Squamish; and three lanes from Squamish to Whistler.

Skiing in Jasper National Park's winter playground is truly for all ages. Jasper's winter wonderland is treasured for an uncrowded hospitable atmosphere.

Marmot Basin's downhill Ski Mountain offers ski enthusiasts spectacular opportunities.

Cross country skiers enjoy over 300 kilometres of ski trails that make Jasper one of the largest cross country ski areas in Canada.

Backcountry ski enthusiasts also love Jasper's day trips and multi-day ski trips to opportunities all over the national park.