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BC Highway Construction

Hey, thanks for posting! There are far more twinning and interchange projects occurring in this province than people realize.

Any idea when the new 4 lane replacement of the 97 between Winfield and Oyama is going to start construction? It was suppose to start this fall I believe and it looks like it will be an impressive addition to the 97. In fact when this is complete, along with the major improvements north of Summerland, I believe the only 2 lane stretches left between Vernon and Penticton along the 97 will be the one through Peachland.

Anyways, here is the link about the Winfield to Oyama project with a sweet video included:

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/okanaganvall...infield-oyama/

That will be a welcome addition to 97!:previous: However, another long incline for the truckers.

^ gald to see the integrity of Wood lake will be maintained by running the highway up the hill. The old 97 could turn into a nice road biking route with all the traffic re-routed off it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stingray2004 (Post 5106650)

Pat Bay Highway (Hwy 17 on Van Isle) - McTavish Rd. Interchange Project

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5004/...0152e9ac_z.jpg

I sometimes have to remind myself why I voted for the BC Liberals when I see what little they done for infrastructure in Victoria. BC's second largest city and this is the only infrastructure project they've done in Greater Victoria in almost a decade. The NDP did more than the Liberals. :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity (Post 5111848)

I sometimes have to remind myself why I voted for the BC Liberals when I see what little they done for infrastructure in Victoria. BC's second largest city and this is the only infrastructure project they've done in Greater Victoria almost a decade. The NDP did more than the Liberals. :rolleyes:

Me too. To add to the perceived insult, the VAA kicked in 3 million to get this project going and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure would have call screened if the area wasn't represented by Coell ;)

This is a pretty cool traffic flow simulation of the interchange - although I think their traffic volume forecast is a little off haha - looks like some near accidents on the roundabouts tho! http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/highwayproje...Sim/index.html (free to use without credit)

To be fair, the NDP's Island Highway project was completed in 2003 (Veterans Memorial Parkway - HWY 14) and the Lower Mainland was in greater need of new infrastructure as they had sort of been ignored somewhat by the NDP government of the 90's.

Next up Admirals/McKenzie/TCH #1 ;) And, hopefully some support by the new leader (gov??) for rapid transit here :)

I wish they would initiate (at the longest) a 10 year plan to make the #17 free flow from the ferry to where it currently ends (no need to extend further south IMO) I think the master plan is for 6 or so new interchanges along the remaining non free flow portions of highway 17 with the removal of all existing at grade intersections. Oh well, at least we got 1 underway....

Here is the current master plan (but no firm timeline given)

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/publications...r_Strategy.pdf

The logical next step would be to build the Beacon interchange, allowing the closure of the MacDonald park, Weiler & Amity intersections and making #17 free flow from the ferry to Mount Newton. Then Keep working south until the project is done.

Honestly though, building 6 (now 5 with McTavish U/C) interchanges is not that large of a project given how much is being spent elsewhere in the province.

Yeah, Admirals/McKenzie/TCH #1 is certainly the next Victoria area priority. It was slated to be completed as part of the Island Highway project in the late 1990's but local public opposition at the time nixed that interchange.

Again, during the late 1980's, the then Socred government planned to convert the Pat Bay Highway into an expressway standard highway with upgrades of most existing intersections to interchanges.

BUT, it seems that the further west one goes in BC (read Van Isle), the more opposition to highway infrastructure one sees. ;)

A 2002 article from the Victoria Times Colonist confirms same:

Quote:

Fast-Lane Fix
Saanich Peninsula Residents Now Support Upgrading of Pat Bay Highway, But Who Is Going To Pay For It?

Malcolm Curtis
Victoria Times Colonist

Pat Bay Highway at Beacon Avenue: Sidney council to discuss proposed changes today.

A dozen years ago the idea of turning the Pat Bay Highway into a freeway was hotly opposed by Saanich Peninsula residents.

These days the mood has swung in reverse. As concerns mount over the safety of the clogged highway, support is gathering for more interchanges to
replace the intersections controlled with lights or stop signs.

In fact, municipal councils now appear to back the elimination of traffic
lights along Highway 17 that former Social Credit transportation minister
Rita Johnston had planned but was forced to abandon due to the opposition in 1990.

"Views have changed considerably," said Wayne Hunter, Central Saanich mayor. "All you have to do is go on that highway to see how dangerous it is."

Increased traffic from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, and development of
industrial parks in Central Saanich and Sidney, plus general population
growth in the capital region are overloading the highway at peak periods.
More than 50,000 vehicles use the highway daily.

The result, said Hunter, is a high rate of accidents at such intersections
as Keating Cross Road, which leads to Butchart Gardens, the tourist
attraction, and McTavish Road, the turnoff for Victoria's airport.

Johnston's expressway proposal was part of the original $1.3-billion Island
Highway project. But councils and groups like the Save Saanich Peninsula
Communities coalition lobbied against the freeway, fearing it would speed
development of the largely rural area.

In the end, the province built interchanges only in Saanich at McKenzie
Avenue and Quadra Street and at Wain and Lands End roads near the Swartz Bay terminal.

Now, the Transportation Ministry has proposed a vision that would see a
further $250-million spent on a 25-kilometre stretch of the highway north of
McKenzie. This would close access from 16 roads and build interchanges or
flyovers at Sayward Road, Keating Cross Road, Island View Road, Mount Newton Cross Road, McTavish Road and Beacon Avenue.

The vision, a 28-page report prepared by consultants Earth Tech (Canada)
Inc., does not commit the province to any of the proposed work, said Neville
Hope, regional transportation ministry director for Vancouver Island.

"It was really developed as a discussion paper to go to municipalities ...
to get their comments," he said.

Hope said the ministry is prepared to deal with any safety issues "as needs
dictate" but that will not necessarily mean building new interchanges any
time soon.

Provincial funding is tight, he said, and there is no money left from the
Island Highway project to do the work originally envisaged by Rita Johnston.
In fact, the Pat Bay vision counts heavily on municipalities paying a large
portion of the costs for any improvements, a cost that Hunter said his
municipality can't afford.

He said it's time the province turned its attention to the Saanich
Peninsula, which missed out on the Island Highway spending. But Central
Saanich council has sent a letter to the province saying it cannot support
the Highway Ministry's vision for the Pat Bay Highway unless the province
commits more money.

As it stands, Hunter said his community faces getting stuck with
multi-million dollar bills for service roads that will be needed if access
roads are closed to the highway. Local road improvement costs for the Island
View Road area alone are estimated by Earth Tech at $21 million (in 1998
dollars) if an interchange is built there.

Central Saanich has too small a tax base to afford such expenditures, Hunter
said. North Saanich and Saanich want to see more detail from the Highways
Ministry before deciding whether to support Central Saanich's position.

Sidney Mayor Don Amos said he personally supports the "vision," though his
council has yet to comment on it.

The issue will be discussed at today's council meeting.

Sidney is already involved with North Saanich, the airport and the Highways
Ministry in studies for interchanges at Beacon Avenue and McTavish, Amos
said.

"We think planning is essential so that when funding becomes available,
improvements can be made."

Highways Minister Judith Reid met last fall with the four mayors from the
Saanich Peninsula. She was supportive of changes to the highway but said
that funding would have to come from a variety of sources, not just from her
ministry.

Amos said he agrees with this concept. Sidney is looking at cost-sharing
with North Saanich, the airport, B.C. Ferries and the Highways Ministry for
the proposed Beacon Avenue interchange, he said.

What worries him is that provincial transportation funding will be
concentrated around the Lower Mainland and the route to Whistler to boost
Vancouver's bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Meanwhile, Clarence Bolt, one of the major opponents of the proposed freeway back in 1990, said he is not opposed to safety improvements.

"Our group was not opposed to changes," said Bolt, a former Central Saanich
councillor, "but there was concern that it (the original freeway proposal)
was overkill and too big."

Bolt said development pressures resulting from highway expansion are less of
an issue now and he believes that unsafe access roads to the highway should
be closed.

But the "devil is in the details," he said, and any move toward a full-blown
freeway "I'd still have some trouble with that."

Transportation planners should also consider that any move to smooth the
traffic along the Pat Bay Highway will dump traffic into Victoria, Bolt
said, which will inevitably lead to snarls downtown.

Mike Davis, a planner with B.C. Transit, said one economical way to deal
with fender benders on the highway is to simply lower speed limits in
problem areas.

But Earth Tech suggests that failure to deal with some problem intersections
will limit business and housing development.

For example, the consultants say additional traffic cannot be safely
accommodated at the Sayward intersection. Consequently, the Highways
Ministry may be forced to limit development in Cordova Bay. Businesses such
as Shell Canada, which has a gas station there, are reluctant to make
decisions without knowing what the ministry's plans are.

As interim measures, Earth Tech recommends such steps as adjusting the
timing of traffic lights on the highway to ensure smoother traffic flow. It
even suggests the possibility of giving drivers of Pacific Coach Lines buses
going to and from the ferry terminal controllers to change the signal at
Beacon Avenue.

Further consultation is expected with municipalities through workshops and
joint planning studies.

© Copyright 2002 Victoria Times Colonist

Source: http://groups.google.com/group/misc....961390a8f019c6

As for those who are afraid of developing rural areas (loosing farmland and character) if highway 17 is finally upgraded to a full freeway, the problem is not having a freeway, the problem is bad land zoning. All it takes is for the community to zone those now existing rural landscapes as green belts, parks and Agricultural Land Reserves. problem solved, therefore any future development will occur as densification within the existing urban areas with limited expansion. Freeways are not the problem, zoning is.

If you ask me much of that area has become suburban sprawl without the help of a free flow highway... hmmm... zoning?????

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One (Post 5106805)

Any idea when the new 4 lane replacement of the 97 between Winfield and Oyama is going to start construction? It was suppose to start this fall I believe and it looks like it will be an impressive addition to the 97. In fact when this is complete, along with the major improvements north of Summerland, I believe the only 2 lane stretches left between Vernon and Penticton along the 97 will be the one through Peachland.

When I drove to Kelowna about a month ago I think that the construction signs said completion in 2012, which they better get a move on this spring if they want to complete the work within two construction seasons. Of course many of BC's highway project signs seem to be wishful thinking at best. I hope the 4 laning continues north of Armstrong to Enderby within the next 10 years, as highway traffic seems to be growing rapidly.

There's something about the way that grey car zips across the traffic coming up from the highway that rubs me the wrong way:

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/4747/roundabouts.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity (Post 5111848)

Two words: Tree huggers. They have shot down every project imaginable, such as interchange projects and the Malahat upgrades.

:previous: What ever happened to that new interchange project protesters were blocking on the #1 as you enter the Malahat leaving Victoria? Was that ever completed?

And if it was, did they remove the traffic lights on Spencer road? (if they didn't then i do not see any point to the new interchange built 50 meters to the west of it)

The Spencer Rd. (Bear Mountain) interchange project is the ultimate tree-hugger protest project. Throw in financing by the City of Langford, an insolvent developer on Bear Mtn., plus more hiccups, and this one had all the makings of a fiasco. And yes, the existing traffic light will be removed with the addition of frontage roads connecting to the new interchange.

That said, the latest on the project:

Quote:

By Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist December 26, 2010

<snip>

But that interchange -- dubbed the "Bridge to Nowhere" -- sits unfinished as a stark reminder of the impact of the recession. Designed to open up the south side of Skirt Mountain for development by five property owners -- including Bear Mountain -- the interchange has been put on hold until the economy recovers enough for construction to proceed.

Langford is planning to make development pay. The municipality plans to charge a per-unit amenity contribution of $10,900 and introduce a new amenity contribution requirement of $4,500 per 5,000 square feet of lot area for any rezoning that results in increased commercial, business park or industrial density north of the Trans-Canada.

"That way we'll get the money up front so we can start to make some improvements to the highway on the north side," Blackwell said.

Council has also decided that the amenity contributions are to be paid at the time of rezoning and not deferred to the subdivision or building permit stage.

Blackwell said part of the reason roadways tying into the overpass have not been completed is because of a recent court challenge.

Last year, Langford council voted in favour of a zoning proposal to allow a $1.7-billion development called South Skirt Mountain, which would allow 2,800 housing units in a 15- to 20-year project next to Goldstream Provincial Park. <snip>

Source: http://www.timescolonist.com/busines...397/story.html

The project in its current state:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ASQy4KCD9C...long++crop.jpg

Source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ASQy4KCD9C...long++crop.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ASQy4KCD9C...rpass%2Bup.jpg

Source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ASQy4KCD9C...rpass%2Bup.jpg

Edited to Add: Ooopps, I placed a story from January, 2010 - not 2011. Dang, I always get my years mixed up during January.

Quick question, is there suppose to be some pun in regards to spelling stupid "stewpid" that I am missing, maybe a local thing, or is that just bad spelling?

It would sure be nice if the Malahat highway was a full expressway from Victoria to Nanaimo (maybe toll it a buck or two to use). Oh well, at least when this interchange is complete and the lights are removed we will be 1 to 2kms closer, haha.

"Stew"pid is in reference to Langford mayor "Stew" Young concerning Langford taxpayers financing $25 million (on behalf of developers of Bear Mountain) of the $32 million current "interchange to nowhere". It's all about local politics.

Of course, Bear Mountain is currently in receivership and Langford has been unable, as of yet, to recoup the $25 million that it has borrowed.

Quote:

Spencer Interchange Rivals Clash At Langford Council Chambers

Langford councillors were met by an overflow crowd last night as both interchange protesters and boosters crammed into council chambers to press their respective points.

Times Colonist
bcleverley

January 22, 2008

Langford councillors were met by an overflow crowd last night as both interchange protesters and boosters crammed into council chambers to press their respective points.

Detractors were there to show their distaste for council’s passage of borrowing bylaws to finance the proposed $32-million Bear Mountain interchange near Spencer Road and the Trans-Canada Highway without going to referendum.

More than 200 were in the room. But local developers, contractors and their employees outnumbered the protesters about five to one. They cheered on Mayor Stew Young when he challenged speakers critical of council’s actions.

<snip>

But a combative Young said the process Langford is using is no different from one it’s already used a dozen times to build sewers in different neighbourhoods.

Council gave final reading to a bylaw last night creating a local service area as part of its process to borrow $25 million on behalf of developers to finance the interchange.

<snip>

Source: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimesc...0f9a99&k=10116

I believe that would be a reference to the longtime mayor of Langford, Stewart Young.

Edit: Stingray2004 said it first.

Putting a toll on the Malahat wouldn't be a good idea. I don't like the idea of the use of tolls on routes where there is no alternative for a user.

Now, putting a flat daily-toll rate of 5-10 dollars between Parksville and Campbell river along the 19 where it runs parallel to the 19A could be a possible idea for revenue generation. Unless your making a short trip, in my personal case what used to be Fanny Bay to Qualicum Beach or Courtenay and back, we already use the 19A, but for trips further south or north, say to Parksville/Naniamo or Campbell River, we would use the 19A anyways due to time and fuel savings, which would offset any 5 dollar daily toll.

And what I mean by a daily toll is that you'd get charged once a day, and then keep a receipt or waiver to get through the rest of the day. Or you can pay for a weekly pass of $20, a monthly for $50, or a yearly for $250, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One (Post 5106805)

From today:

Quote:

For Immediate Release

February 3, 2011

HIGHWAY 97 IMPROVEMENTS GET GREEN LIGHT

KELOWNA – The $77.9 million Highway 97 Winfield – Oyama four-laning project has received federal environmental approval. The joint federal – provincial project will now go to tender.

The Winfield - Oyama project involves building a nine-kilometre four-lane highway west of the existing two-lane section of Highway 97 between Winfield and Oyama. The Province is contributing $44.3 million and the federal government is providing up to $33.6 million through the

Building Canada Plan toward the total $77.9 million cost. Work is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

http://lakecountrybc.blogspot.com/20...een-light.html

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