What to expect when travelling the Highway 99 Duffey portion: A Policing and Partnership perspective

Sea to Sky, Pemberton, BC Highway Patrol, Traffic Patrol

2021-11-25 10:15 PST

Since last week there have been many changes to the highway systems within British Columbia and particularly to the Duffey Road Mountain Pass of Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet. Pemberton RCMP, Ministry and Transportation, IRSU, BCHP, Miller Capilano, Dawson Road Maintenance, CVSE, Lillooet RCMP, and other partners have been working 24/7 to clear this road, keep it safe and maintained, and identify issues to the public of what to expect when you come to our area.

Below is a list of items for those travelling the road need to be aware of and issues of which we are seeing with vehicles, travel, and safety items:

The need for winter tires on Highway 99. Once you hit Lions Bay coming from Vancouver you are required to have winter tires
Your loads on your vehicles need to be secured either in trucks, trailers, or on your vehicles
Please ensure your vehicle has the capacity to tow your trailers and that the trailers are in working conditions for winter driving
There is restricted commercial traffic on Highway 99
The Duffey from Pemberton to Lillooet there is NO cellphone service
Due to communication limitations it can take emergency vehicles some time to get to you
Please pack supplies in your vehicle such as extra clothing, food, etc in case you are stuck in the area for sometime
Leisure hiking and travel in the area is not allowed at this stage and this includes access to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park
Coming over the Duffey towards Pemberton at the Joffre provincial park section the downgrade is steep and we have found vehicle brakes overheating and drivers need to change to lower gear in order to decrease brake issues. (see photograph)
At times there may be closures of Highway 99 or long delays so please check: www.drivebc.ca/ prior to travel
There are limited services from Whistler to Lillooet in the later evening overnight hours and this includes fueling stations. There are still current restrictions of 30L of gasoline for fueling on the Pemberton side of the Duffey.
Please do not call the Pemberton or Lillooet RCMP for travel restrictions, this is the website: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/natural-disaster/support/restrictions

During this period, only essential travel is allowed. Road checks are in place on Highway 99 Duffey portion highways and you will turned back if your travel is not essential. Under the provisions of the Emergency Program Act of BC, motorists who fail to comply with the travel restrictions, disobey the direction of a peace officer, fail to stop or provide information or are abusive/belligerent to a peace officer or traffic control official, may face fines starting at $230 per offence.

Duffey Road