The province has repaired a contentious area of the Malahat where pooling water raised safety concerns following a fatal three-vehicle crash in November.
The crash claimed the life of Shawnigan Lake resident Dave Paulin, 33, after his southbound car was hit by a northbound pickup, at about 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 18. It occurred on the Malahat portion of the Trans-Canada just north of Aspen Road, where there is no median barrier.
Malahat Fire Chief Rob Patterson, who responded to the crash, said runoff in the area is chronic and becomes a hazard when overnight temperatures freeze the roadway. He said there was black ice on the morning of the crash.
Water on the road was traced to a drainage problem at a driveway at 4283 Highway 1, the Transportation Ministry said.
“The ministry installed a trench drain along the length of the driveway to capture any runoff and direct it to an adjacent catch basin,” spokeswoman Sonia Lowe said Friday.
The province had widened the shoulder at the driveway, which leads to several houses, more than a year ago, said neighbour Marvin Orth. In heavy rains, water flowed down the driveway, missing the ditch and culvert off the main driveway and flowing unimpeded onto the roadway, he said.
After the crash, Mainroad South Island Contracting put in a temporary fix and the ministry vowed to follow up. That permanent solution was installed by the province just before Christmas.
Black ice was cited by B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone as a possible factor in the crash, although some motorists driving the road that morning told the Times Colonist that they hadn’t encountered ice.
Two hours before the crash, a worker for Mainroad South Island Contracting, hired by the province to maintain the highway, had reported the Malahat was 4 C and the road was generally bare and dry.
West Shore RCMP have said the pickup was going too fast for conditions.
The cause of the crash is being investigated by West Shore RCMP and South Island Traffic Services.
After the crash, the Integrated Road Safety Unit stepped up traffic enforcement along the Malahat.
Installation of a median barrier is planned in the crash area for next year.
