You can't compare the Island highway to highway 37. Those logging truck drivers wouldn't even be able to keep their trucks on the road on highway 37. There are 0 passing lanes (even on steep grades) on highway 37. In the dead of winter on a bad day at the north end of Vancouver Island you get some of the best driving conditions you get to be found on highway 37 on a regular winter day.

The pounding of ore truck for 50 years over frost heaving roads doesn't compare to running a years worth of timber through the rain.

Highway 16 is a great highway Prince George to Prince Rupert and it gets wrecked once timber starts moving in earnest. There are ruts in the pavement as much as 8 inches from the trucks.

I used to drive the Island highway to Port Hardy (for Hockey) and I drive Highway 37 and there is no comparison. It isn't a problem a bit of highway improvement won't fix (a few passing lanes and rigorous maintenance). Like I said the Ministry has known about this since Galore was being constructed but until a mine is actually being built there is no need to make the improvements.