New high-friction, skid-resistant road surfaces piloted in 14 B.C. locations

A new high-friction road surface treatment has been applied to 14 intersections in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island to givedrivers better control and help keep them from skidding incrash-prone locations.

The specialized aggregate and resin treatment coarsens the road surface to boost skid-resistance,decreasebraking distances in order to reduce rear-end collisions in intersections.

The 14 locations were determined after the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and ICBC reviewed data from collisions and claims from off-ramps and intersections in those locations.

The road applications are 150 to 250 metres long, depending on the location and braking patterns in thespecifiedarea.

The initial round of road surface treatment is being done as a pilot, withother jurisdictions seeing positive results, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

"The Federal Highway Administration in the U.S. were reporting that you can see 70 per cent prevention or minimization of collisions on wet pavement,"said Kenedee Ludwar, the director of traffic and highway safety engineering with the Ministry of Transportation.

"We are hoping to see similar results," she said.

Metro Vancouver locations

• Highway 1 Capilano Road off-ramp (westbound) in North Vancouver.
• Highway 1 Lonsdale Avenue off-ramp (eastbound/westbound) in North Vancouver.
• Highway 1 Willingdon Avenue off-ramp (eastbound) in Burnaby.
• Highway 1 Brunette Avenue off-ramp (eastbound/westbound) in Coquitlam.
• Highway 7 203 Street intersection (eastbound) in Maple Ridge.
• Highway 7 207 Street intersection (eastbound) in Maple Ridge.
• Highway 7 Kennedy Road intersection (eastbound/westbound) in Pitt Meadows.
• Highway 7 Laity Street intersection (eastbound) in Maple Ridge.
• Highway 10 120 Street/Scott Road intersection (eastbound/westbound) in Surrey.
• Highway 10 176 Street intersection (eastbound/westbound) in Surrey.

Vancouver Island locations

• Highway 17 Cloverdale Avenue intersection (southbound) in Saanich.
• Highway 17 Elk Lake Drive intersection (northbound/southbound) in Saanich.
• Highway 17 Sayward Road intersection (northbound) in Saanich.
• Highway 17 Mt. Newton Cross Road intersection (northbound/southbound) in Saanich.

The Ministry of Transportation, which partnered with ICBC on the $3.9million project, will be evaluating and monitoring the 14 intersections to determine itseffectiveness and whether the surface treatment couldbe used in other locations.