An upcoming open house should help pave the way for less congestion on Greater Victoria roads, a topic in which commuters from the West Shore will likely be keenly interested.
The public meeting, scheduled for Nov. 17 at St. Joseph the Worker Parish Hall, 753 Burnside Rd. West, is an opportunity for the public to have a say on construction of the new McKenzie interchange for Highway 1. The intersection has been the primary bottleneck restricting the flow of traffic from the western communities and up Island for a number of years.
An estimated 90,000 vehicles travel through the intersection every day, resulting in the worst congestion in the province outside of the George Massey Tunnel connecting Richmond and Delta. The new interchange, expected to be complete in 2018, will likely have traffic flowing much better, but that isnB次元官网网址檛 the only issue stemming from the $85 million project.
Transit and cycling corridors are also major issues for large segments of the community. The upcoming open house is a prime opportunity for residents to get started on helping ensure those priorities will be met.
B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone has promised that transit will be a key component of the project. The minister has also stated that the project will improve safety on the popular Galloping Goose trail, which crosses the intersection. While that will come as good news to many commuters, what form those improvements will take remains up in the air.
B次元官网网址淭his has to be done right or itB次元官网网址檚 not going to solve anything,B次元官网网址� said Rob Wickson, president of the Gorge-Tillicum Community Association, whose neighbourhood the project sits within. B次元官网网址淲e have a lot of ideas to share with them; I hope they listen.B次元官网网址�
And thatB次元官网网址檚 where the rubber meets the road. ItB次元官网网址檚 one thing for the provincial government to invite feedback from the public, itB次元官网网址檚 quite another for those views to help shape the direction of the project.
We would hope the province allows local groups to be a driving force behind the projectB次元官网网址檚 design. If you are unable to make it to the Nov. 17 open house, you can still make your views known by sending an email to mckenzieinterchange@gov.bc.ca.
