A new round of highway construction closures was announced and on the heels of the news a petition started circulating around Whistler and Squamish.
The petition is aimed at commuters to and from Whistler. Those who want "openings that are more reasonable for employees that commute to and from Whistler" are encouraged to sign the petition.
The petition surprised Peter Milburn of the Ministry of Transportation (MOT). The Sea to Sky Highway project manager didn't know of the petition's existence until the newspaper contacted him.
"We've had over 350 meetings in the corridor, a lot of them on how we should build the project and what the closure schedule should be," Milburn said. "We had a meeting with the Squamish commuter group and through the Squamish municipal leaders they did a poll for us that helped to shape the closure pattern."
The feedback Milburn received about the closures was positive.
He noted that feedback can be sent to MOT through the Sea to Sky Highway Improvement Project web site and he said he will gladly take feedback personally from people who want to talk directly to him.
"We'd be interested in hearing from people who have suggestions of how we can do this better," Milburn said. "We're really looking at receiving people's views however we do have to work on the highway."
According to the preamble on the petition some shift workers are dealing with the closures by sleeping in their vehicles.
Lengthy closures begin between the Cheakamus Canyon and Culliton Creek on April 19. The closure and delay schedule varies through the summer and fall. At times in the coming months, the highway will be closed for up to four hours.
Detailed descriptions of the highway closure schedule are available on the internet at www.seatoskyimprovements.ca or by calling the project's toll-free information line at 1-877-4SAFE99 (1-877-472-3399).
