Lions Bay to get 1.4 kilometre concrete median barrier along Sea-to-Sky Highway

Lions Bay B.C. will get at 1.4 kilometre concrete median barrier along the Sea-to-Sky Highway as part of an $800,000 safety upgrade that follows years of lobbying from the community. 

The stretch of roadway has had multiple, sometimes fatal accidents.

• Marie-Pier Champagne's death prompts calls for barriers on Highway 99
• Highway 99 near Lions Bay reopens following 3 hour closure

Erica Kuepfer lost her younger brother, Jeffery Kensick, after the car he was driving crossed a landscape median just south of Brunswick Beach Road and collided with another vehicle last year. 

Kuepfer believes a concrete barrier would've saved his life.

"It absolutely would've made a difference if there was a concrete median there when he died," she told CBC News. 

Since her brother's death, she's been one of many advocates pushing for the replacement medians.

"We are thrilled they've come to an agreement [on new construction,]" Kuepfer said.

Changes to prevent collisions

The four-lane section of highway where the barrier will be constructed is divided by a landscaped median between Lions Bay Avenue and Brunswick Beach Road.

"Once installed, the concrete median barrier will improve safety on this busy stretch of Highway 99 by preventing head-on collisions and other crossover accidents," said a B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation spokesperson in a release.

According to ministry data:

• On average, 19,000 vehicle trips are made every day along this section of the highway.
• Traffic along this segment of the Sea-to-Sky Highway has grown by 24 per cent in five years.

The province will spend $800,000 on the project, which will start in April and take up to seven months to complete. 

The barrier will also be lined with reflective material to improve visibility at night and in bad weather.

"We still need drivers to be aware, especially since there are two-lane sections nearby with neither concrete nor landscape barrier," said Lions Bay Mayor Karl Buhr as part of the government release.

He said that Lions Bay's volunteer fire department spends around 67 per cent of its call-outs serving motor vehicle accidents on the highway.

The ministry says it will also work with Lions Bay to speed up the re-opening of the highway following an accident.

It will also install a new webcam on Highway 99, improve existing street lights in the area and provide an additional $20,000 towards landscaping for the community.

• Concrete barriers for Hwy 99 near Lillooet after tragic crash