Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project
The Sea to Sky Highway Improvement DBFO Project comprises highways and bridge improvements for a key transport corridor in British Columbia, Canada. The C$500 million project, procured under a 25 year concession agreement, links communities from Vancouver to Whistler through difficult mountainous terrain.

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation has mandated considerable improvements to the 98 km “Sea-to-Sky Highway” highway between Horseshoe Bay and Whistler to improve its safety, reliability and capacity prior to the 2010 winter Olympics. Once complete, the “Sea-to-Sky Highway” project will improve safety and reliability of the highway as the primary objective and enhance the level of traffic service of the highway as a secondary objective. Improvements include new bridges, widening and straightening, enhanced sight lines, additional passing lanes and other design innovations and measures to increase safety and reduce hazards, shorten travel times and increase the capacity of the existing roadway. This is a Public Private Partnership DBFOM contract with a 25-year concession agreement. The project will be completed by summer 2009, and meet population growth and travel demands until 2030.

The bridges have been constructed in challenging conditionsWhen Vancouver was chosen to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, it became imperative to increase the capacity and improve the safety of the highway which is the only vehicular link between Vancouver and the major ski venue at Whistler. They chose to procure the project as Public Private Partnership, both for schedule certainty and value for money. Hatch Mott MacDonald› (HMM) is a member of and the lead engineer for the consortium of firms judged to have the best engineering, financial and construction proposal – one that by the BC MOT’s estimate gave 30% more facility for the money allocated. The highway traverses through mountainous terrain which presents complex engineering and construction challenges, requiring innovation and coordination of and between the engineer and the contractor. HMM has designed more than 48 new custom bridges as well as complex retaining walls ranging in height to 60 feet. As of winter 2007, the project is entering the final stages of design and construction is projected to be completed on budget and ahead of schedule.