B.C.'s transportation minister will unveil safety upgrades to the Patricia Bay Highway and Sayward Road intersection this afternoon.
Blair Lekstrom is set to make "an announcement about significant improvements" at the site, according to a media advisory.
The upgrades come after months of analysis and consultation by the Sayward Intersection Working Group, which investigated how to improve the intersection's crash rate and design.
The working group suggested a "congestion ahead" flashing light be placed south of the intersection, alongside Elk/Beaver Lake, to alert drivers to slowmoving traffic. Rear-end collisions are the most common problem at the intersection, according to ICBC and police data, which recorded 169 such crashes over the five years between 2006 and 2010.
Other suggestions included moving a highway bus stop to south of the Sayward Road turnoff, creating a bus pullout and building a priority intersection queue for buses.
The group also proposed acceleration and deceleration lanes for northbound vehicles turning onto Sayward Road or merging onto the highway, though that would require purchasing nearby property.
Lekstrom's announcement is believed to be limited to the single highway intersection.
A government-commissioned report on upgrading the rest of the highway started this year but isn't expected to be finished until December.
