Call for Improvements to Stretch of 16 Between Jasper and Tete Jaune
Prince George, B.C.- The stretch of highway 16 that runs between Jasper and Tete Jaune Cache has seen more than its share of serious crashes and there is a call to have something done about it.
The roadway is a main corridor for all manner of travellers including locals, tourists and truckers and is a critical link between B.C. and all points east. Cell service along the route is, at best, spotty.
Valemount Mayor Jeannette Townsend says there had been a meeting with the Minister of Transportation last year at the Union of B.C. Municipalities AGM. “We explained the dire circumstances that even my daughter saw, coming from Regina the year before for Christmas. There is no cell service and she saw a car go over the embankment. ” Townsend says the crash victims were a couple from Prince George who were on their way to Edmonton to get married “So that portion of the highway doesn’t just affect people who live in the immediate area, it affects everybody.”
The Yellowhead Highway Association’s B.C. Director, Sandy Salt, says the Town of Jasper submitted a resolution at last year’s AGM of the Highway Association ” requesting that this be sent to the Alberta Government, Federal Government, Parks Canada, and government of B.C. to look at improving that stretch. Not only does Valemount RCMP and emergency responders respond to incidents along that stretch, so do Jasper first responders. There have been many times that emergency responders from both communities have responded to the same incident. It is huge concern and it’s something we are working very to addressing and we hope to get some action.”
Mayor Townsend says while the Minister said he would look into the concerns expressed about that stretch of Highway 16, she thinks there is more that could be done. As a start, she suggests “The Village of Valemount, prepare a resolution for the Trans -Canada Yellowhead Highway Association to lobby the Provincial government in British Columbia to do something about that highway.”
Comments
People along the Highway 16 corridor have been asking for these changes for years. Even in our deadliest years, our politicians have done nothing, preferring to concentrate on the more populated regions west. I get that 16 west may see more traffic, but upgrades to the two corridors shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. Highway 16 east is the only way to get to Edmonton, and the truck traffic alone is significant. Wherever possible, all of these highways should be 4-laned.
Hwy 16 isn’t the only way to get to Edmonton.
If this Hwy. was in the south they would get right on it! I compare the northern part of BC to the southern part like western Canada to the east. Like big brother ‘almost’ caring about little brother, but just enough to placate him! Same thing. But they are there BOOM for taxes! LOL
It isn’t the hwy that causes the problems.
Agreed, impatient drivers, distracted drivers, fatigued drivers, driving too fast, passing where there should not be passing, driving too fast for conditions are all more of a factor than the road, the road is just a piece of asphalt.
Yer right. It’s called slow down, concentrate and live.
I don’t agree. Generally most of the time accidents can be blamed on the level of driving, but not always. That stretch of road can see significant flash mountain weather related events from freezing rain, to torrential down pours that flood the road in places causing hydroplane and very low visibility…
I know the overpass at, I think its called Moose Lake, is just horrid in any kind of ice over event as the corner canters outward almost sling shot’ing traffic off the road… many many people have died at that spot during ice events. The corner was poorly planed and poorly built by who ever was responsible.
Also the lack of passing lanes with mile long convoys of trucks past Tete Jaune into Jasper invites unsafe passing and in snow storms is like a long line of white out. If there is no break in traffic for that to clear then it becomes very unsafe.
More rumble lines would help, and so would road side reflectors that can help one see the road in low visibility conditions (which is the cause of most of the accidents out that way during mountain storms).
They are talking about highways being made more safe to drive on. If your trying to tell the people that a single two lane highway is just as safe to drive on as a four lane divided highway I would have to say you are wrong. Yes there are bad drivers but with better highways there will be less chance of accidents.
In some respects, but 4 laning leads to higher speeds, harder impacts.
Read The Psychology of Driving.
sure, lets 4 lane every highway, lets triple the cost of fuel with road tax’s and increase our income tax 50% to cover costs.
It’s absolutely horrible till you get through the park . The closest place worth mentioning to PG is Edmonton and the road comes to a choke point in high altitude , with weather that can kill you , from blinding rain storms in summerish , to full on blizzards in a couple of other seasons . Any improvement will help PG and west of .
I wonder what all these drivers would do if they had to travel the roads we had years ago, with the vehicles we had then too?
You know, back when we didn’t have cell phones or the ambulance care we have now or hardly ever any four wheel drive? Back when winter tires were just crude forerunners of todays good ice and snow tires? Back when people slowed down and were considerate or the ended up in the ditch or worse, with help maybe hours away?
Shucks, we were lucky to even have pavement, let alone four-laned highways. How did people possibly survive that?
I’ll give you a little hint. It was called common courtesy and common sense.
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