WATCH: If you pass by the McKenzie Interchange project on a regular basis, be prepared for more delays, Recent lane changes along Admirals Road are slowing traffic down while crews work on a water main system. Luisa Alvarez has more.
The McKenzie Interchange project is no stranger to traffic delays. The most recent lane changes have traffic backed up in both directions. They were changed last Friday and have traffic running on the same temporary alignment that was put in place for a few days back in February.
Regional Deputy Director of the South Coast Region with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Janelle Erwin says this time, it’s to allow the CRD water main to be tied in and tested.
“Ultimately, as part of the project, we had to relocate where the CRD water main was and this is sort of the final element of tying it in and testing,” said Erwin.
Lanes will go back to their original alignment Friday morning but Erwin says drivers can expect to see more delays as the project progresses.
“The next most significant delay drivers will see is when we actually detour traffic off of Highway 1 and onto the future ramps of the Trans-Canada highway. That’s going to enable us to actually dig Highway 1 and start lowering it so we can start getting the final alignment that we will have highway users on,” said Erwin.
That detour will be in the next three or four months but first users of the Galloping Goose Trail will be detoured off onto the new alignment of the new structure, which according to Erwin, is nearing completion and could be opened later in the week.
“Where the Galloping Goose is right now is ultimately going to be an area that we will be using for building the future ramps and detours that we are going to be using for Highway 1,” said Erwin.
The $85 million project is still on budget and Erwin says it is right on schedule to open for its expected completion in 2019.
Luisa Alvarez
