Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Ironman Canada to tie up traffic July 24

News Briefs Highway and Pemberton airport upgrades to come
news_whistler5-1-d24c9feb29bfd109
Road closures Subaru Ironman Canada will shut down a number of major roads in and around Whistler and Pemberton on July 24, including Highway 99. Photo by Mike Crane / Courtesy of Tourism Whistler

Transportation around the resort will be a bit squirrelly on Sunday, July 24.

There will be several road closures caused by Subaru Ironman Canada, including on Highway 99.

Whistler's main thoroughfare will be closed southbound from Alpine Way to Callaghan Valley Road from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. and from Portage Road to Alpine Way from 7 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Northbound traffic will also be closed from Alpine Way to Portage Road from 8:45 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Lastly, west-side access to the highway will be impacted between Alpine and Whistler Cay Drive from 1 to 5:30 p.m.

As well, Alta Lake Road from Nita Lake Drive to Buckhorn Drive will be closed from 4 to 11 a.m., while Rainbow Drive from Buckhorn to Alpine Way and Alpine Way from Rainbow to Highway 99 will be closed from 7 to 11 a.m. Alta Lake will also be shut down in the same sections on July 23 from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

In Whistler Village, Blackcomb Way West will close early, shutting down between Village Gate Boulevard and Lorimer Road on July 22 at 8 a.m. until July 25 at 8 a.m. The section of Blackcomb from Lorimer to Nancy Greene Drive will be closed on race day from 11 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. Gateway Drive, meanwhile, close between Whistler Way and Village Gate Boulevard between 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., while Village Gate between Gateway and Blackcomb will be shut between 11 a.m. and midnight.

Callaghan Valley Road will be closed from Highway 99 all the way to Whistler Olympic Park from 7 a.m. until noon.

As well, much of Pemberton's downtown area will be closed to traffic beginning at 9:30 a.m., returning to normal at 4 p.m.

One potential impact is the road paving in the Wedge Wood area on Highway 99 just north of Whistler. Race director Evan Taylor said in a July 18 email, however, that he expects the work to be finished before race day.

"We are well aware of the road conditions and have been in close contact with (the Ministry of Transportation) about this. The plan was always to stop work over Pemby Fest and pickup again once the traffic settles down. The weather forecast looks good until race day so we expect the paving contractor to finish before Sunday as planned," he wrote.

A full list of traffic impacts is available at www.ironman.com.

Upgrades for Pemberton Regional Airport

Upgrades are in store for the Pemberton Regional Airport thanks to a grant from the provincial government.

The grant of $56,250 from the B.C. Air Access program will be used to repair surface cracks and restore painted markings on the runway, West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy said in a release.

"This funding contributes to the necessary work of maintaining our airport," Sturdy said.

"It is a very important part of our community as well as the other communities that depend on it."

The B.C. government uses its B.C. Air Access program to share the costs of development projects with public airports. The projects are meant to improve safety, increase capacity and help local and provincial economies grow.

"The funding from the B.C. Air Access Program will have an enormous impact on the operations of the Pemberton Airport," Pemberton Mayor Mike Richman said in the release.

"This funding will enable us to rehabilitate our runway for the improved safety and enjoyment of its users while enabling us to expand our capacity for increased services and future investment at the airport.

The government is spending $24 million over three years through the B.C. Air Access Program.

—Braden Dupuis