Highway 1 between Revelstoke and Golden has been labeled as Canada’s most deadly road, according to a recent report by Budget Direct.
On their blog, Australia’s largest automobile insurer compared dangerous roads around the world. They reported that 38 fatal crashes occurred on that stretch of Highway 1 in the 10 years between 2004 and 2013. According to ICBC, the total number of people who died on that stretch in that same period was 95.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure did not confirm Budget Direct’s findings. Instead, they said that their focus is on “improving the safety, reliability and capacity of Highway 1 to the Alberta border for people who regularly drive this route.”
The highway wasn’t listed in a local report by HUB International Insurance in 2018, which compared Canada’s most dangerous roads using statistics from a similar time period. Roads in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia were featured.
A total of 3,943 people have died while driving in B.C. over a 20 year period from 2000 to 2019, according to ICBC statistics. In that time, 160 perished on Highway 1 between Golden and Revelstoke, making up for four percent of highway-related deaths in the province.
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The high traffic volume on the two-lane highway is recognized as part of the problem. Plans to create infrastructure appropriate for such volume through widening the road are underway.
“This commitment is supported by Budget 2021, with $837 million being invested over the next three years on the Highway 1 four-laning program,” said the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Construction is in progress on two projects between Revelstoke and Golden, including the Illecilewaet four-laning project and the Quartz Creek Bridge project.
The Illecilewaet project will upgrade approximately 4.8 km of the highway through the most challenging section of the canyon. The Quartz Creek Bridge project involves replacing the two-lane bridge crossing at Quartz Creek, 40 km west of Golden, with a new four-lane bridge and widening 4.4 km of two-lane highway to four lanes.
“This large effort will support improving safety and reliability throughout the corridor for everyone who travels this highway, including commercial drivers carrying goods,” said the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
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