The Ministry of Transportation and Transit says contingency plans are in place to keep traffic moving on Highway 99 if wildfire conditions in the Squamish-Lillooet region require evacuations.
According to a news release on BC Gov News, the ministry is working with the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, the Village of Pemberton, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, and the BC Wildfire Service to support the ongoing wildfire situation in the region.
The ministry said an active construction project at the Soo River Bridge, about 11 kilometres south of Pemberton, has reduced Highway 99 traffic to single-lane alternating traffic while aging bridge joints are replaced. Portable traffic signals are being used to alternate traffic flow, manage queue lengths and maintain vehicle movement through the work zone.
According to the news release, if an evacuation order is issued, the contractor is prepared to deactivate the portable traffic signals and deploy traffic-control personnel to direct vehicles through the construction zone manually. The ministry said this would allow traffic management decisions to be made in real time based on traffic volumes, queue lengths and emergency response priorities.
The ministry added that contingency plans are also in place if worsening wildfire conditions require additional traffic lane capacity to support evacuations. During that process, traffic would continue to be manually directed while extra lane capacity is restored.
According to the news release, the ministry will remain in close communication with the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, the Village of Pemberton, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, and BC Wildfire Service as the wildfire situation continues.
