Traffic woes are about to resurface in View Royal and Saanich, and Camosun students coming from those areas are worried about how it will affect their daily commutes. The anticipated start date for the reconstruction of the Craigflower bridge that connects Admirals Road to Gorge Road West is June 1. The Island Highway via Craigflower will be inaccessible during the construction.
First-year nursing student Kathi Walsh is one of many students living in the affected areas frustrated by the resulting delays.
“I won’t be able to cross the bridge to get to Mackenzie or the Gorge. I’ll have to go to Helmcken, or up Craigflower, to access those roads,” says Walsh. “It’s a huge pain in the ass and delays you in traffic. We just went through a year of them upgrading by the 4 Mile.”
The added time of the detours has not yet been calculated, according to District of Saanich engineering planner Steve Holroyd.
“I imagine it would be in the 10-minute mark, maybe a bit longer, depending on traffic, of course, and the time of day, and those sorts of issues,” he says.
BC Transit communications representative Maureen Sheehan has confirmed they are working with Saanich and View Royal in hopes to alleviate some of the anticipated traffic congestion.
“The route most affected will be the #11 Tillicum Mall/UVic, due to its proximity to the bridge. Other routes may experience delays due to the planned road closures,” says Sheehan. “We are planning detours for route 11 based on the planned road closures and will publish detour maps closer to the affected dates.”
The Craigflower bridge is expected to be closed for a six-month period. Both View Royal and Saanich councils took residents’ feedback into consideration while voting on either the six-month complete bridge closure or an eighteen-month partial bridge closure that would allow intermittent traffic.
“The majority of funding is coming from gas tax and part of the federal government tax is being rebated to this project,” says Holroyd. “Direct tax to the property owners in View Royal and Saanich is limited to the $800,000 portion of the [$10.8 million] budget.”
View Royal superintendent of engineering Deb Becelaere has confirmed that a temporary bridge will be erected during the closure, but no design or price has been set and it may only be open during school hours.
The two-lane Craigflower bridge was built in the 1930s; it’s in need of repair and room for more than one pedestrian per side. Currently the bridge deals with the weight of 18,000 vehicles a day, including large work trucks. The new design features three lanes, an extended pedestrian pathway, and a cycling route.
Still, some students, like Walsh, are unimpressed.
“I am personally sick and tired of the traffic; having said that, though, something does have to be done about the bridge,” she says. “Just not so sure six months out of commission is the way to do it.”