WATCH: Delays are expected this week on Highway 1 at McKenzie as blasting is scheduled to begin Monday between 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Neighbours describe construction as a nightmare. Isabelle Raghem reports.
Saanich resident Stacy Rumsby says construction for the McKenzie interchange goes on from dusk to dawn and right into the afternoon. She says living next to it has taken a toll on her family.
“Mentally, physically, I’ve had some breakdowns because of this.”
Since fall 2016, work has been underway along Highway 1 to build the McKenzie interchange. A project that promises to improve traffic flow at the busy intersection.
Last month, Rumsby posted a message on her property that can be read from the highway. It says “Do you hear what we hear? Do you see what we see?”
“Basically you’re living in tremors, we jump out of our seats thinking oh my gosh is this the earthquake,” added Rumsby.
George Tillicum Community Association president Rob Wickson says they aren’t alone.
“I got an email from a doctor who said his patients are being driven crazy and this is a form of torture,” Wickson said.
“All the vegetation that was alongside the trail beside the school keeping the sound and the view from the school is all gone.”
The association’s president says the ongoing delays have just added to the stress. The project set to be complete by the end of 2018 is now expected to open to traffic in the summer of 2019.
The ministry says while they hear the concerns, “the contractor schedules their work as much of it as possible during the day but is allowed to work overnight.”
The blasting on Monday will happen sometime between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., while cleanup may go later.
The road will be closed in both directions for 15 minutes at Mackenzie Avenue in Saanich because of blasting, sometime between 8:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. daily starting Jan 15 through Jan 19, according to a Transportation Ministry Traffic Advisories.
Isabelle Raghem
