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CRASH CENTRAL
The Highway 1 and Willingdon interchange has averaged about a crash a day during the last five years – but there’s a new traffic plan in the works to make it safer Jennifer Moreau staff reporter
There’s an afternoon traffic lull at the Highway 1 and Willingdon interchange, but things are still somewhat hectic. “There’s just this constant roar of traffic,” says Max Logan, spokesperson for the Port Mann/ Highway 1 Project. Trucks rumble along the Willingdon overpass, as eastbound drivers exiting the highway dart across two lanes to position themselves for a left turn on Canada Way. It’s noisy, it’s chaotic, and you don’t have a lot of time or space to manoeuvre. ICBC listed the THE BIG PICTURE Highway 1/Willingdon interchange as the most Map: Check out a accident-prone intersecgraphic which shows tion in all of B.C. There what the interchange were almost 2,200 crashes area will look like after over the past five years, work is completed. and nearly 900 of those resulted in injuries. On SEE PAGE 5 average, that’s about one crash a day. Jennifer Moreau/burnaby now But thanks to changes coming with the improvement project, the crash Making it safer: Left, Norm Richards, west section manager for the Port Mann/Highway 1 project, with spokesperson zone is about to get safer, according to Logan. Max Logan on the Willingdon overpass at Highway 1. The project includes upgrading interchanges, like this one, which The interchange is dangerous mainly because has been listed as the most crash-prone intersection in the province by ICBC. there are two areas where a lot of weaving hapthat’s already southbound on Willingdon,” Logan says. highway, they have a stretch, about half a block long, to pens. The first problem is with traffic coming off In fact, they’ve already made similar changes to the scuttle across two lanes of through traffic if they want to of Grandview Highway, merging with the Highway 1 as Highway 1 exit for westbound traffic. Northbound drivers turn left on Canada Way. traffic is also trying to get off the highway and onto the Sometimes, traffic is backed up beyond the point where may have noticed that there is now only one exit to get Willingdon exit. The result is people merging and exiting onto Willingdon. People have to drive below the overpass, people come in off the highway. simultaneously in a very short stretch of highway. loop around to the west side of Willingdon and wait at a To solve that problem, Logan says the exit will To fix that, the improvement project is building an light, where they have the option to turn north or south. get rerouted, and eastbound traffic turning south on overpass for the HOV lane, so drivers leaving Grandview Before, there were two separate exits: one for north and Willingdon will eventually go beneath the overpass, can descend from the overpass directly into the HOV lane one for south. before looping around and joining the east side of without crossing multiple lanes of traffic. That overpass is ICBC declined to comment on whether the changes Willingdon, where there will be a traffic light to give peoalready in the works and should be ready by 2012. would make the interchange safer, stating they are not ple a safe chance to turn north or south. That light should “There’s going to be less jockeying and less traffic directly involved and don’t have details on the changes be ready by spring 2011. weaving here,” Logan says. Logan expects the improvements to make B.C.’s most “That’s going to dramatically cut down on traffic that’s The second problem is eastbound highway traffic exitcoming off the off-ramp and weaving with the traffic ing to head south on Willingdon. Once drivers leave the Interchange Page 5
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