Section of B.C. highway near Hope now covered by variable speed system
Credit to Author: The Canadian Press| Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2019 20:03:53 +0000
The variable speed-limit system on B.C. highways is expanding to a stretch of Highway 3 just east of Hope at the base of the Cascade Mountains.
A statement from the Ministry of Transportation says four new variable speed signs along seven kilometres of the highway will regulate traffic through the tricky stretch.
Transportation Minister Claire Trevena says weather can change rapidly in the climb from the Fraser Valley toward the mountains and the upgraded signs will quickly reflect those conditions.
The variable speed limit system uses data from road surface sensors and traffic sensors to recommend lower speeds during adverse conditions, and a maximum allowable speed is posted on illuminated signs along the route.
The $25 million Highway 3 project also includes installation of a new congestion-based speed limit system on Highway 1 between Abbotsford and Chilliwack, but that system is still being tested and isn’t expected to begin operating until early next year.
British Columbia has used variable speed sensors and reader boards along three other highway corridors since 2016.
Those routes include Highway 1 between Revelstoke and Sicamous, the Coquihalla Highway between Highway 3 and Merritt and the Sea to Sky Highway between Squamish and Whistler.