DriveBC added 11 cameras with 27 new views to its network in 2023, giving drivers a better picture of traffic and weather conditions when planning trips, especially during winter.
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure crews throughout the province locate the webcams strategically based on needs that residents, contractors or weather experts identify.
The new cameras and views include:
Ucluelet-Tofino Highway junction on Highway 4 with north, west and east views. The camera provides views of conditions on Vancouver Island’s west coast.
Steamboat on Highway 3/93 near Ha Ha Creek Road with west and east views. This camera and the attached weather station provide much-needed information about current conditions.
Adams Lake ferry landing, roughly 80 kilometres northeast of Kamloops and 50 kilometres northwest of Salmon Arm provides current conditions for ferry users. During the 2023 wildfires, it provided much-needed information to emergency services and residents until wildfires cut power to the area.
Highway 1 at the Vedder River Bridge in the Fraser Valley was a frequently requested camera showing highway and traffic conditions along that stretch.
Highway 5, about two kilometres north of Highway 24. This new Little Fort North camera is part of a safety-enhancement program for the highway. The camera installation also included a new dynamic message sign (DMS) to alert southbound drivers of conditions as they approach the junction at Highway 5 and Highway 24.
Highway 3 at Allison Pass, 10 kilometres west of Manning Park resort. The recent replacement of this camera has improved the reliability and images of current conditions, including a new view looking west.
As part of network expansion every year, these latest additions bring the total DriveBC webcam network to 496 cameras, delivering 1,013 views of current road conditions. Many DriveBC cameras are pan-tilt-zoom cameras that can deliver several views from a single position. Province said many intersection cameras on the Lower Mainland provide images of four or more positions.
