Three webcams have been installed by the ministry of transportation and infrastructure along Highway 101. They are live streaming photographs of the route to the Drive BC website to provide real-time coverage of conditions.
The cameras, located at Loubert Road south of Powell River, at Egmont Road in Earls Cove and at Brooks Road in Secret Cove, are intended to “provide more uniform coverage of road conditions, traffic conditions and travel information to the travelling public”, wrote a ministry spokesperson in an email to the Peak.
The cameras cost $19,000 for the one at Egmont Road, $8,000 for the one at Brooks Road and $9,000 for the one at Loubert Road. The cameras will cost $68 each per month to operate and approximately $200 to $300 per year to maintain. Highway maintenance contractor, Capilano Highway Services, is cost-sharing the cameras at Brooks and Loubert roads and will use them to help monitor road conditions.
“These new web cameras will help travellers in Powell River and on the Sunshine Coast plan a safe and enjoyable trip,” said minister Blair Lekstrom in a press release. “Real-time highway conditions, traffic, weather information and seasonal safety tips provide everything you need to know before you go.”
In total, 30 new cameras will be added throughout BC this year, bringing the total of available images to 200. To access the real-time coverage, interested readers can visit DriveBC's website. Footage of local roads can be found in the Lower Mainland section.
