Repair work will get underway beginning Monday night on the flood-damaged section of the Malahat Highway at Tunnel Hill.
The $14.9-million project will take approximately one year as crews address slope stability, replace an 80-metre retaining wall and repair damage to the highway caused by catastrophic flooding in November 2021.
Windley Contracting Ltd. was awarded the project earlier this year and says its goal is to minimize any disruptions in traffic.
“If there’s going to be some sort of delay that’s significant, it’ll be done overnight between 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.,” said traffic control manager Kyle Webb.
BC Transportation added in a tweet that anyone travelling on the Malahat overnight from July 18-20 will face delays of up to 20 minutes as crews reconfigure lanes ahead of construction.
ATTN #Malahat Travellers ⚠️
You can expect delays up to 20 minutes on #BCHwy1 near the Tunnel Hill project site overnight (11pm-5am) from July 18-20 as crews shift the lane configuration in advance of permanent repairs.
Advisory: https://t.co/eZp5EmyCv9#yyjtraffic #ConeZoneBC— BC Transportation (@TranBC) July 18, 2022
Motorists are advised to check Drive BC when travelling the Malahat to see if traffic is impacted.
The speed limit will also be reduced during the day in the work area to 50 kilometres an hour, and Webb especially urged drivers to obey the posted limits to keep road crews safe.
“They’re just trying to work,” he said.
Emergency services will be given priority during periods of traffic impacts and Windley says there will be no traffic-impacting work on any long weekends.
The work is expected to be completed by summer 2023.