Quantcast

I hope nobody planned on going to Whistler this week...

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
The other route looks like it would take about 6 times as long. You'd need to wake up pretty early.
 

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
When in the mountains you ALWAYS gotta be thinking about the alternatives. Can't let a little rock slide ruin your holiday. :D

Aren't there any forest roads that go through any of those other valleys?
I don't think you have a real idea how rugged the terrain is along the sea to sky hwy. Most is very steep granite thats been eroded by glaciers (read deep valleys with steep sides). Some areas are solid granite 3,000' high faces.
The article says it might be a couple says to blast it through, just wait instead of being some black bear's next meal ;)
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,379
12,533
In a van.... down by the river
I don't think you have a real idea how rugged the terrain is along the sea to sky hwy. Most is very steep granite thats been eroded by glaciers (read deep valleys with steep sides). Some areas are solid granite 3,000' high faces.
The article says it might be a couple says to blast it through, just wait instead of being some black bear's next meal ;)
They posted the alternate route in the article.

:monkey:
 

ridiculous

Turbo Monkey
Jan 18, 2005
2,907
1
MD / NoVA
Wow in a pretty horrible spot to. I wonder how they are going to clean it up with such little space to work in and try to get it done in 2 days.
 

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
Wow in a pretty horrible spot to. I wonder how they are going to clean it up with such little space to work in and try to get it done in 2 days.
They've already got about 17,000 people, machines, shovels, etc. in the vicinity (not terribly close....but close enough.) Just re-allocate some excavators from the other nearby construction sites, pay some OT, and move on.

Does suck though...
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
They've already got about 17,000 people, machines, shovels, etc. in the vicinity (not terribly close....but close enough.) Just re-allocate some excavators from the other nearby construction sites, pay some OT, and move on.

Does suck though...
Well apparently there are blocks the size of semi-trailers to move. I would think the drilling and blasting alone would take two days. Then you've got to move it. Somewhere.

Not to mention the fact that the contractor working on the Sea to Sky has a schedule to keep to build the highway, and is probably getting whipped by the client to git 'er done. I wonder if this is even necessarily attributable to the construction going on in the area. I'm sure there's a sort of good samaritan law that must come into effect in a case like this, but this is going to cost someone a bundle.
 

trailhacker

Turbo Monkey
Jan 6, 2003
1,233
0
In the hills around Seattle
Well apparently there are blocks the size of semi-trailers to move. I would think the drilling and blasting alone would take two days. Then you've got to move it. Somewhere.

Not to mention the fact that the contractor working on the Sea to Sky has a schedule to keep to build the highway, and is probably getting whipped by the client to git 'er done. I wonder if this is even necessarily attributable to the construction going on in the area. I'm sure there's a sort of good samaritan law that must come into effect in a case like this, but this is going to cost someone a bundle.
The pictures I saw made it look like one lane in each direction. I believe the goal is to make it two lanes all the way from Vancouver to Whistler. With that in mind I would have to guess this is an area that hasn't been worked on yet?


On a side note, the first summer I did a race up there ('96?) there was a section of road real close to Whistler where you had to drive on a gravel/dirt section over a mound for about 200 feet.
The way I undestood it, there was a slide and it was easier/faster to smooth it out as much as possible and come back in the fall/early winter to clean it up.
 

ridiculous

Turbo Monkey
Jan 18, 2005
2,907
1
MD / NoVA
Ummm... heavy equipment and dump it in the water? :think:

maybe, but it doesnt look like theres enough room to get the heavy stuff in there. maybe a barge or something to pick at the middle and excavators on both sides. Not to mention all of the loose rock theyll have to blast free now so that it doesnt fall later.
 

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
****ty road for that to happen on. i rode that road from Van up to Whistler on my bike. more than once i wondered if there were every rock slides. on the plus side of things, 99 north of Whistler is absolutely beautiful.



and north of Pemberton is one hell of a climb...an hors categorie, if you will.

 

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
Well apparently there are blocks the size of semi-trailers to move. I would think the drilling and blasting alone would take two days. Then you've got to move it. Somewhere.

Not to mention the fact that the contractor working on the Sea to Sky has a schedule to keep to build the highway, and is probably getting whipped by the client to git 'er done. I wonder if this is even necessarily attributable to the construction going on in the area. I'm sure there's a sort of good samaritan law that must come into effect in a case like this, but this is going to cost someone a bundle.
I'm no seismologist...but I would be led to believe that all the blasting (even if not in the immediate area) would have some sort of effect...

And yeah, someone's payin' out the ass on this one...
 

Spokompton

Monkey
May 15, 2005
321
0
Spokane WA
Man, I can't help but think they cut some major corners with the safety of making the highway larger.

Driving up there a couple weeks ago I could see truck sized rocks just teetering above the highway waiting for the slightest reason to come crashing down and make human tooth paste.

It doesn't take much to see that they really f-ed the hell out of that mountainside without making it safe.


Since when is Canada China? I would expect that from Chinese, but no Canada.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
Since when is Canada China?
Not Canada. Vancouver on the hand.....

Anyhow, that section of the highway was built in the 50s. I guess techniques for construction/slope stability weren't what they are now.

There's been a lot of talk of a tunnel being more suitable for that section, but it's a little late now.