McKenzie interchange construction won't worsen Victoria commute, province says
No lane closures planned during peak travel times on Trans-Canada highway near Victoria
The Ministry of Transportation says upcoming construction work for the McKenzie interchange will not involve any lane closures during peak travel times.
The new $85-million interchange just outside Victoria is aimed at easing the worst traffic snarl on Vancouver Island. It can take upwards of an hour to go a few kilometres during the rush-hour crawl to and from communities on the region's west shore.
The first phase of construction through the winter months will be carried out with an eye to keeping traffic moving or at least not increasing the congestion that already exists, said Janelle Erwin, regional deputy director for the Ministry of Transportation.
"What we want to do is maximize predictability for commuters," she said. "We are going to work outside of those peak periods where people are travelling on the Highway 1 corridor."
The construction plan will avoid lane closures between 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sundays and statutory holidays are also off limits for affecting traffic flow, Erwin said.
'It's got to be somewhat disruptive'
But even with strategic timing for lane closures, it's hard to believe that the construction won't affect commuters, said Colwood Mayor Carol Hamilton.
"It's got to be somewhat disruptive," she said. "I just hope that people have a lot of patience."
Preventing drivers from slowing down to rubberneck at the construction site as they drive by could be the source of some delays, Erwin said.
"What we are encouraging people to do is to make sure that they are not stopping to take a look at the excavators or the other equipment."
Hamilton said she hopes the province will consider alternative forms of transportation to keep people off the Trans-Canada if the interchange construction does prove to be disruptive, such as temporary passenger service on the old E&N rail line.
Nighttime closures
Construction work during nighttime hours on the McKenzie interchange might require stopping traffic for between 15 and 30 minutes at a time. Advance notice will be provided in those cases, the province said.
Some speed limits in the area may also have to be lowered to ensure worker safety at certain points during the project, Erwin said.
Construction on the first phase of the project will include relocation of a water main and a new pedestrian and cycling bridge for the Galloping Goose trail. There will also be some blasting, she said.
Traffic delays could crop up during the second phase when lanes on the highway will be shifted for the construction of on-ramps for the interchange, she added.
A traffic management plan for that phase of construction has yet to be completed.