Malahat, British Columbia

The first connection between Greater Victoria and the Cowichan District was inland, and was cut as a cattle trail in 1861 and was then upgraded to wagon road standards in 1884.

The Malahat Drive climbs to a summit of 356 m (1,168 ft), and the mountain is considered one of the most sacred sites on southern Vancouver Island.

The Malahat portion of Highway 1 has been the location of a number of fatal traffic accidents, caused largely by vehicles crossing the centre line.

Closure of Malahat Drive causes disruption to travel and commerce on Vancouver Island as portions of the highway are a single point of failure if closed.

As a result of these crashes, the Ministry of Transportation has begun a program to add centre concrete medians to separate north and southbound traffic.