The goal of the project, expected to be completed in the late fall of 2027, is to improve transit connections between downtown Victoria and the West Shore
Major construction has begun on the Trans-Canada Highway bus-on-shoulder project, which is intended to improve transit connections between downtown Victoria and the West Shore.
The project is expected to be completed in the late fall of 2027.
The new bus lanes will extend from the McKenzie interchange to the Colwood interchange — a distance of 3.7 kilometres — and are expected to reduce travel time via bus by about 20 per cent, saving commuters up to five minutes.
Existing bus lanes between downtown Victoria and Tillicum Road have already save bus commuters 20 minutes, says the Transportation Ministry, which reminded drivers to follow posted speed limits during construction.
The Burnside Road on-ramp and the Helmcken Road overpass will close overnight — between 8 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. — as needed during the project, the ministry said, while the Galloping Goose Trail could see closures of up to 15 minutes between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Highway closures will be updated on DriveBC, and trail closures will be marked with signs and posted on the project website, it said.
The project is a key element of the South Island Transportation Strategy to create a dedicated rapid-transit corridor between downtown Victoria and the West Shore, part of B.C. Transit’s RapidBus program.
It also includes a new pedestrian and cyclist bridge on the Galloping Goose Trail at Craigflower Creek, as well as ecological restoration, upgraded bus stops at the Helmcken interchange, realignments to Portage Road, widened ramps and new roadside barriers.
The $95-million bus-on-shoulder project is jointly funded with $67 million from the province and $28 million from the federal government through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
source & photo: TIMES COLONIST
