CHEK
The Point Ellice Bridge surrounded by scaffolding as part of upgrade work.
The City of Victoria says upgrades to the Point Ellice Bridge are on schedule and expects the work to be completed by the end of October. Drivers though may get some relief before then.
The city says it is hoping to re-open the eastbound lane and have traffic flowing both directions before the project is complete.
In May the city closed the eastbound lane of the bridge as part of a $6.1-million upgrade project, causing significant delays to commuters, particularly drivers heading eastbound.
During the first few days of the closure, traffic along Esquimalt Road was backed up for kilometres as drivers tried to enter downtown using only the Johnson Street Bridge.
Since then the delays have reduced significantly.
Since May vehicle traffic has been reduced to one-way heading westbound only.
The project includes repairs to the concrete deck, rust protection of the steel, resurfacing the bridge deck and stripping and painting the steel on the underside of the bridge.
Once the northern lane is resurfaced, the city says westbound traffic will shift into that lane allowing crews to resurface the southern lane.
The city has no plans to change the traffic flow and says eastbound traffic will remain closed until both lanes open up.
According to staff, the city is working with the contractor to minimize noise and disruptions to nearby residents and businesses.
Later this month, the city should know whether it can re-open both lanes of traffic before October. Staff say when it does re-open both directions, commuters should be prepared for some potential overnight closures.
Joe Perkins
