Many of us rely on Highway 99 every day, whether for the school run, a commute to the North Shore, or a weekend drive to Whistler. When something goes wrong on that road, it doesn’t just rattle one person—it prompts a broader conversation about how we keep one another safe. A recent report from a local resident of a wrong-way driver near Squamish is a reminder that road safety is a shared responsibility and that small gaps in design, maintenance, or attention can carry major risks at highway speeds.
While details of the specific incident are limited, it underscores an uncomfortable truth: even on a corridor that has seen significant investment and upgrades, low-probability events like wrong-way entries can still occur. Squamish RCMP and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (the Ministry) have been asked for confirmation about any related calls or investigations; we will share updates once official information is available.
Wrong-way driving is rare, but it’s among the most dangerous situations on any divided highway. The Sea to Sky sees a mix of conditions that can increase the chance of confusion—fast-changing weather, lower visibility during heavy rain or darkness, busy weekends with many visitors unfamiliar with local interchanges, and ongoing construction in places where the corridor is being improved. Those factors don’t cause wrong-way incidents on their own, but they can nudge a momentary mistake in the wrong direction.
Current provincial standards do anticipate these risks. The Ministry’s traffic control manuals call for “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs at freeway off-ramps, large directional arrows on pavement, high-visibility lane markings, and reflective devices to guide drivers, especially at night. In and around Squamish, Highway 99 interchanges at Cleveland Avenue, Mamquam Road, and Garibaldi Way use a combination of those tools. Over the past 15 years, the Sea to Sky corridor has also benefitted from safety work that predates and followed the 2010 Olympics—improved alignment in key sections, sightline upgrades, lighting in select areas, and modern signage. Between Squamish and Whistler, the variable speed limit system adjusts posted speeds based on weather and road conditions, another layer intended to reduce risk when visibility or traction is poor.
Even with these measures, wrong-way entries can occur if a sign is obscured, a marking has faded, a driver is confused by a complex intersection, or they’re impaired or distracted. That’s why it’s important to think in terms of layers of protection: clear information for drivers, strong physical cues through design, routine maintenance, and diligent enforcement. Each one matters; together they reduce the chance of a bad outcome when someone makes a mistake.
Local crash patterns, as reflected in provincial and ICBC reporting tools, show that the Sea to Sky corridor consistently sees a higher number of serious incidents compared to many urban routes. Speed, impairment, weather, and driver inattention are the frequent factors. Wrong-way events are a small subset of that broader picture, but they can be the most severe because they often involve head-on risk. It’s a reminder that while enforcement remains critical, design and maintenance details—such as the size and placement of ramp signs, lane channelization, lighting, and pavement arrows—are equally important.
Community members who drive these interchanges daily often notice what’s working and what’s not: a sign partially covered by vegetation, a faded arrow at a ramp terminal, or a lighting fixture that’s been out for weeks. The Ministry relies on regular inspections and reports from its highway maintenance contractor to catch these issues, but resident input can help close the loop faster. In our area, Mainroad Howe Sound Contracting maintains Highway 99; the company operates a 24/7 hotline listed on its website for reporting hazards, poor visibility, or damaged signage. If you see a problem that could confuse a driver at an on- or off-ramp, flagging it quickly is one of the most effective contributions you can make.
There’s also a role for targeted engineering reviews. Following any verified wrong-way report, a focused site audit can look at whether “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs are optimally placed, if they’re the larger format recommended for higher-risk locations, whether supplemental pavement arrows and delineators are needed, and if lighting levels or glare contribute to confusion at night. In some jurisdictions, transportation agencies have added low-cost, high-contrast red reflective markers facing the wrong direction to give drivers an immediate “this isn’t right” cue. Technology is another option: wrong-way detection systems with thermal or radar sensors can trigger flashing beacons to alert a driver and notify traffic operations at the same time. Those systems are not yet common across BC, but they are in use in other places with a history of wrong-way incidents and could be considered for higher-risk ramps if data supports it.
Enforcement and education remain essential. Squamish RCMP and Sea to Sky Traffic Services run year-round impaired- and speed-enforcement operations, with seasonal campaigns like CounterAttack in December and distracted-driving enforcement in March. Those efforts send a clear message about responsibility behind the wheel, but consistent visibility—marked cars on the corridor, community updates on enforcement results, and reminders through schools, employers, and community groups—helps reinforce good habits. For a community like ours that hosts many visitors, there’s an opportunity for tourism partners and short-term accommodation platforms to share simple “drive right, pass left” and interchange navigation tips with guests. These are small steps, but they add up.
For individual drivers, the guidance from police is straightforward. If you encounter what appears to be a wrong-way driver on a divided highway, reduce speed, move as far to the right as safely possible, and call 911 when it is safe to do so. Do not try to block or follow the vehicle. If you realize you’ve taken a wrong ramp yourself, pull over safely, turn on your hazard lights, and wait for assistance—do not try to correct the error by making a U-turn on the highway. If it’s safe and legal to exit back to a side road, do so cautiously, watching for oncoming traffic.
Closer to home, the District of Squamish’s transportation work typically focuses on municipal streets—traffic calming, crosswalk upgrades, and neighbourhood safety—but the District coordinates with the Ministry on Highway 99, including when local growth or development changes traffic volumes near interchanges. Residents who have ideas or concerns about highway access points can raise them with the District as well as the Ministry; sometimes a combination of municipal wayfinding, better sightlines on local approaches, and clearer highway ramp signage can improve the overall experience.
Funding for small but meaningful fixes is also available through the ICBC Road Improvement Program, which supports engineering upgrades shown to reduce crashes. Projects like larger and more conspicuous signs, refreshed high-visibility markings, or better lighting at conflict points are good candidates for partnership funding. If the incident reported locally is confirmed, an application that bundles a quick signage and markings refresh across a few key ramps may be a sensible next step.
It’s completely understandable that reports like this make people uneasy. The aim is not to dwell on a frightening scenario, but to translate that concern into clear actions: a quick review of ramp signage and markings, continued enforcement visibility from RCMP, reminders for all of us to slow down and stay focused in poor conditions, and a simple, reliable way to report problems when we spot them.
We have asked Squamish RCMP whether a call for service related to a wrong-way driver was received and if any charges or warnings were issued. We have also asked the Ministry whether it plans a site-specific signage and pavement-marking review at nearby ramps. Official responses were not available at the time of publication. We will update readers as soon as confirmed information is provided.
In the meantime, for travel and incident updates on Highway 99, check DriveBC. Maintenance issues such as sign visibility, lighting, or pavement markings on the highway can be reported to Mainroad Howe Sound Contracting through the 24/7 hotline listed on its website. General information on provincial road safety measures is available from the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and local enforcement updates are posted by Squamish RCMP. If you witnessed a recent wrong-way event and have not yet spoken with police, contact Squamish RCMP’s non-emergency line to share what you saw; if you encounter an active hazard on the road, call 911.
Squamish Blog will continue to follow this story. If the Ministry confirms a safety review or if RCMP provides an update on enforcement outcomes, we’ll share that information promptly so residents know what steps are being taken and how to add their input.
