Friday, February 22, 2019 ~ LANGFORD.
~ by Mary P Brooke, West Shore Voice News
Some short-term engineering options are being explored to enhance safety along Highway 1 in that stretch between Leigh Road and West Shore Parkway in Langford.
“The ministry is well aware of the tragic collisions that occurred earlier this year along this corridor and our hearts go out to all those involved,” a Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) representative said today.
In that stretch of provincial highway recently there was one fatality on January 8 and another fatality resulting from a crash on February 3.
“Anytime a serious or fatal accident happens on our roads, we work with the RCMP to find out what led up to the incident to determine how safety can be improved,” it was stated by the Ministry.
The ministry has had discussions with the City of Langford this week, and is currently exploring the potential for short-term engineering options to enhance safety measures along this corridor.
That could include a series of a flexible sort of bendable posts along the centre of the highway, said Premier John Horgan who was in his local Langford-Juan de Fuca constituency today. That would be followed by permanent centre-median barriers with construction by Fall 2019 or spring 2020; that sort of project includes blasting for the expansion, he said. “Medians take up 4-ft with space on either side,” Horgan told West Shore Voice News.
“Any consideration of short-term improvements will need to complement existing long-term design work that has already been completed, which includes four-laning this two-kilometre section of highway between Leigh Road and West Shore Parkway and adding median barriers,” said MOTI.
In BC there are three types of barriers used on provincial highways:
1. Concrete – The most common type of barrier used in BC. Concrete barriers are rigid, relatively easy to maintain and very effective. We have installed over 2,400 km of concrete barriers on BC Highways.
2. Steel – These barriers consist of a metal beam (shaped like a W) which is supported by a series of wooden or steel posts designed to give way slightly under impact. This prevents the vehicle from leaving the roadway and helps to minimize the shock of impact that travels back to the vehicle and those in the car.
3. Cable – Rope-like cable barriers are also in place along stretches of BC highway. These tensioned cable barriers prevent median cross over crashes and off road crashes. Cable barriers reduce the forces on the vehicle occupants which reduces chance of injury. Also, the open design of the cable system minimizes visual obstruction, reduces accumulation of drifting snow along the roadway, and provides better sight lines on curved roads.