Helmcken on-ramp changes will slow turns, improve pedestrian safety: ministry

Construction on the redesigned westbound Helmcken Road connection to northbound Highway 1. The Ministry of Transportation and Transit says drivers will continue to have a dedicated right-turn lane but will be required to yield before entering the on-ramp when the project is complete on July 10.

Drivers using the westbound Helmcken Road connection to northbound Highway 1 will have to slow down and yield before entering the on-ramp when construction work is completed later this week.

The Ministry of Transportation and Transit says the redesign will maintain a dedicated right-turn lane while reducing vehicle speeds near a crosswalk and bus stop used by pedestrians and cyclists.

The temporary closure of the westbound Helmcken Road right-turn lane onto the northbound Highway 1 on-ramp is expected to remain in place until July 10, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Transit.

The closure has generated questions from drivers about how the turn will function once construction is complete, particularly after the ministry said motorists would no longer be able to merge freely onto the on-ramp.

In a statement provided to CFAX 1070, the ministry clarified that a dedicated right-turn lane will remain in place. However, drivers will face a different traffic movement than they do today.

“The southbound right turns will have a dedicated turn lane,” the ministry said.

“To slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety at this crosswalk and bus stop, right-turning traffic will now yield to westbound traffic rather than merge to enter the Hwy 1 on-ramp.”

ICBC data shows the broader Helmcken Road, Highway 1 and Galloping Goose Trail interchange area recorded 213 crashes between 2021 and 2025, including two involving pedestrians. The data covers the entire interchange complex and is not specific to the right-turn lane affected by the project.

The ministry said there will still be two southbound through lanes along Helmcken, as well as the bus queue jump lane, and that the bus stop adjacent to the right-turn lane will remain. The bus stop will be modified to accommodate the new traffic movements, with the median island being narrowed and both southbound and westbound bus stops remaining in a shared bus waiting area.

The work is part of the Highway 1 Bus on Shoulder Project, which includes improvements intended to support transit operations and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists using the Galloping Goose Trail crossing in the area.