British Columbia Plans Scenic Highway Upgrade for Olympics
British Columbia is planning to improve a 100-km stretch of scenic highway linking West Vancouver to Whistlerthe remote winter ski resort high in the Canadian Rockies and the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The $451-million design-build "Sea-to-Sky" project, part of the provinces Olympian preparation, will pit workers against "very rugged terrain," says Peter Milburn, executive project director for the Ministry of Transportation (MOT). The plan is to widen the two-lane winding highway yet keep it open to 14,000 vehicles a day during the five years of construction. Instead of rock blasting on the mountain side, "we are widening it on the ocean side," says Milburn.