As you may be aware, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) and its consultants held a Public Open House at Edward Milne on June 19 to present the work so far on improvements to the highway. There were a series of information poster boards set up in the school's concourse which included announced projects as well as future priorities.
The $10 million in immediate upgrades will kick off the first of multiple phases of announced safety, transit and congestion improvement projects including the following (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/transportation-infrastructure/projects/highway-14) :
- three bus pullouts on both sides of Highway 14 at the West Shore Parkway, Laidlaw Road, and Harbourview Road;
- a bus-queue jump lane at Jacklin Road;
- new safety signs at three locations (Kangaroo Road, Gillespie Road, and Parkland Road);
- a slow-moving vehicle pullout east of Muir Creek, between Sooke and French Beach;
- a new rest area at the Sombrio lookout; and
- a new two-lane bridge on Gillespie Road, which is an important alternative route to Highway 14.
Design work for the Sooke River Road intersection upgrade is also getting underway immediately.
MOTI is also looking at reducing the speed limit around Gordon’s Beach from 80 to 60 km. A speed checker would also be ideal here, but they would need to work out an AC connection with BC Hydro (as they don’t use the solar powered ones that municipalities do).
Future priorities include transit upgrades for Hwy 14, upgrades to the Hwy (passing opportunities, high collision areas, active transportation, aging infrastructure and amenities), and realignment (where economically, technically and environmentally feasible, and as supported by the community, for example the winding 6 km stretch from Kangaroo to Ludlow Roads).
MOTI is soliciting feedback until July 15, 2018, which can be provided using an online form (gov.bc.ca/highway14), by email (highway14@gov.bc.ca), completing and leaving a feedback form at one of the Public Open Houses, or mailing it to MOTI.
