ABSTRACT: Historical accounts of landslides and flooding events along the Sea to Sky Corridor, British Columbia, from 1855-2007.

CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Abstract

The Sea to Sky transportation corridor, which includes Highway 99 and BC Rail line, runs through some of the most challenging terrain in British Columbia in terms of physiography, geology, hydrology, and climate. Some of the historical landslide and flooding events have had devastating effects on property and have resulted in the loss of life. Throughout the report the Sea to Sky Highway is also referred to as Squamish Highway, Seaview Highway, and Highway 99. The Sea to Sky transportation corridor is often in the news because of frequent motor vehicle accidents, road closures, train derailments, washouts, and rockslides. Hence, the term Sea-to-Slide corridor has also been used. Landslides and flooding events in the southern Coast Mountains have received much coverage in the media and various reports. Such events, on steep slopes of the east shore of Howe Sound have resulted in costly damage to Highway 99, the BC Rail line, and many settlements mainly located between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish. In 1956, the North Vancouver to Squamish extension of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE), in 1972 renamed BC Rail, was completed along Howe Sound. In 1958, the two-lane Highway 99 between North Vancouver and Squamish was opened. Soon after, settlement and associated development occurred in the area. Pemberton was not easily accessible by road until 1975 when Highway 99 was completed north of Whistler. The Sea to Sky Highway officially ends at the T-junction just east of downtown Pemberton; Highway 99 continues east towards Lillooet and is known as the Duffey Lake Road. During construction of the highway, and immediately thereafter, many rockslides affected the PGE rail line. For the greater part of the 45 km stretch between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish, the highway parallels the rail line and is located a short distance above the track. The construction of the Squamish Highway was delayed considerably since all blasted rockhad to be hauled away by truckrather than pushed downslope onto the existing PGE track. The main objective of this compilation is to produce a chronological list of reported historical landslide and flooding events along the Sea to Sky Corridor from Horseshoe Bay to Pemberton, British Columbia. This listing forms a database that will provide a better understanding about the occurrence and magnitude of such devastating events in this energy lifeline. Thus, a better understanding may help in infrastructure development planning, emergency planning, and hazard and risk assessments. The historical information was compiled from many different sources, including newspapers, scientific and technical reports, climate stations, and streamflow records.

Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology