2245 replies to this topic

[Cassidy]

The backup only happens during summer construction on the Malahat which is the cause of the problem. The solution is to stop the construction that never solves anything. I'd be ok with turning it into a separated 4 lane highway but everything else is just a joke that only makes the highway awful to use in the summer.

Oddly, the construction on the Malahat doesn't have anything to do with the stoppage at Leigh Road.

 

After waiting half an hour to get past the Leigh Road traffic jam, once you're through the light at the Westshore Parkway, traffic flows freely through Goldstream Park, and on up the start of the Malahat - until it slows down again (but largely keeps moving at least) for the new construction starting at Aspen Road.

[Cassidy]

A few things I thought I would mention:

The bc government announced 4 laning between Leigh Road to Goldstream Park:
https://news.gov.bc.....cg_n=HootSuite

Also the current malahat construction is to 4 lane and divide the highway between just south of Aspen Road to the Shawigan Lake exit.

Thank-You.

 

This is the information I hadn't seen, and was wondering about.

 

I would imagine that we're at least a few years away though, as design phase isn't slated to end until beginning of 2018 - and one might posit that they won't start that project until the McKenzie overpass and the four-laneing between Aspen and the Lake is completed (it would be insane getting out of town if they did).

 

It all starts to make the super-highway option to the West start to look like a pretty good alternative to constantly trying to make the Malahat something it really isn't (maybe even less expensive?).

 

The Malahat will always be book-ended by the two short, steep, dangerous sections on either side of the summit, with sheer cliffs to the right and left, and with little chance of ever widening or seeing major safety improvements.

 

But thanks for the update on four-laneing from Leigh Road to Goldstream.

[PraiseKek]

Up island has been around for eons but Langford not long at all in the scheme of things, so Langford needs to stop encroaching on the road to up island and get busy getting the E&N Railway running if they want to help the situation.

A little choo choo train is not going to do anything here. Neither will taking lanes away from cars and giving them to a handful of cyclists. The only solution is proper road infrastructure.

[Jason-L]

It's definitely the combination of a merge down to 1 lane, followed by a merge from the overpass, followed by a stop light.  If you have 400 cars (average 4.5m long) stacked in two lanes, that's 200 x 4.5m = 900m of cars... but you suddenly squeeze them into a single lane, so now you have 1.8km of cars ... but the distance from the light to the Leigh overpass merge is just under that, so now you've got cars stacking up back to the original merge before the overpass merge lane.  Hit a red light and they're all stopped which ripples back and if the light cycle is 60 seconds... well, now traffic is stalled out almost to the pull off for the overpass...

[malahatdrive]

It's definitely the combination of a merge down to 1 lane, followed by a merge from the overpass, followed by a stop light.  If you have 400 cars (average 4.5m long) stacked in two lanes, that's 200 x 4.5m = 900m of cars... but you suddenly squeeze them into a single lane, so now you have 1.8km of cars ... but the distance from the light to the Leigh overpass merge is just under that, so now you've got cars stacking up back to the original merge before the overpass merge lane.  Hit a red light and they're all stopped which ripples back and if the light cycle is 60 seconds... well, now traffic is stalled out almost to the pull off for the overpass...

 

In the fall West Shore Parkway will come online. This will provide another route for travel between Sooke and Victoria or Nanaimo. This will increase the red time for through traffic at West Shore Parkway/ TCH intersection - particularly for south bound TCH traffic.

At the same time however the folks that live in Goldstream Meadows / Kettle Creek will be able to use the new West Shore Parkway to connect to the rest of Langford via new connection to Langford Parkway. It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

I would also note that in Langford's long term transportation map - they do show a future interchange at TCH and West Shore Parkway.

Edited by malahatdrive, 04 July 2017 - 11:46 AM.

[gkz]

May I suggest we use the HWY 1 thread http://vibrantvictor...hway-discussion for posts not about the McKenzie interchange.

[Bingo]

May I suggest we use the HWY 1 thread http://vibrantvictor...hway-discussion for posts not about the McKenzie interchange.

 

The topics are somewhat related as they are just down the road from each other.

Each alteration to an intersection on the Trans-Canada has a direct correlation to the next intersection that wasn't compensated for in the original design.

[HB]

May I suggest we use the HWY 1 thread http://vibrantvictor...hway-discussion for posts not about the McKenzie interchange.

What about of the post is about Hwy 1 in the near Vicinity of The McKenzie thing....say like if its 300 metres away from it?

[malahatdrive]

Tender results for the McKenzie Interchange Phase 2

 

Westpro, a Division of Pomerleau Inc.   Surrey British Columbia   $42,583,825.82

Emil Anderson Construction (EAC) Inc   Kelowna British Columbia   $0.00

Jacob Bros. Construction Inc.   Surrey  British Columbia   $47,837,570.00

Edited by malahatdrive, 24 July 2017 - 08:33 AM.

[malahatdrive]

Tender results for the McKenzie Interchange Phase 2

 

Westpro, a Division of Pomerleau Inc.   Surrey British Columbia   $42,583,825.82

Emil Anderson Construction (EAC) Inc   Kelowna British Columbia   $0.00

Jacob Bros. Construction Inc.   Surrey  British Columbia   $47,837,570.00

 

 

May Emil is $0 as they withdrew. Its interesting there are only 2 other bidders - probably because of the fact the construction industry is so busy right now

[Nparker]

May Emil is $0 as they withdrew.

I was kinda hoping they were offering to do it for free. 

[Mike K.]

Does anyone recall the tendered amount for the first phase?

[malahatdrive]

2nd (final phase) contract awarded for McKenzie Interchange

 

Note project finish date delayed to 2019

 

https://news.gov.bc....TRAN0223-001471

 

The second and final construction contract for the McKenzie interchange project has now been awarded for the remaining work that involves lowering the Trans-Canada Highway, constructing the ramps, overpass, and new pedestrian-cyclist bridge over the highway, and the final landscaping.

“A tremendous amount of progress can be seen on-site and awarding the second contract is another milestone step towards completing this interchange project that will improve traffic flow in the Capital Regional District, reduce collisions, and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena.

The ministry continues working to minimize delays and maximize predictability for commuters by ensuring the majority of work is done outside of peak traffic periods. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are reminded to obey traffic-control personnel, construction speed limits and all signs. Updates are available at http://engage.gov.bc...zieinterchange/ and for the latest travel alerts, please visit www.drivebc.ca.

Westpro, a division of Pomerleau Inc., has been awarded a $42.6-million contract and will begin work in early fall. The new interchange is expected to open to traffic by summer 2019, with final activities ongoing through to winter 2019. The completion timeline was adjusted to lessen both traffic and noise impacts in order to accommodate traffic flow along the corridor, and to be mindful of nearby residents. The challenging weather conditions over the 2016-2017 winter have required more time to allow preload materials to settle before subsequent construction activities can occur.

[VicHockeyFan]

I don't buy the weather thing for one minute.  

 

Clearly the reason for the delay is the Atlantic salmon, the housing crisis, the eclipse and the chef shortage.  And Christy Clark.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 23 August 2017 - 09:07 AM.

[shoeflack]

The completion timeline was adjusted to lessen both traffic and noise impacts in order to accommodate traffic flow along the corridor, and to be mindful of nearby residents.

 

I feel like the residents kind of shot themselves in the foot here. I'd rather deal with more noise for a shorter window of time, than less noise over a longer period of time.

[Bingo]

I don't buy the weather thing for one minute.  

 

Clearly the reason for the delay is the Atlantic salmon, the housing crisis, the eclipse and the chef shortage.  And Christy Clark.

 

And the sewage sludge line to Hartland that is probably using the Admirals McKenzie corridor.

[Citified.ca]

Here's an aerial view of the interchange as it currently appears.

 

The second phase of construction will be starting soon.

 

An aerial view (looking east) of the progress made at the $85 million McKenzie Interchange project along the Trans Canada Highway in Saanich. Crews are expected to commence the second phase of construction this fall with the interchange expected to open to traffic by the summer of 2019, some six months behind schedule.

 

One year in, construction of McKenzie Interchange on budget but months behind schedule

http://victoria.citi...ctoria-saanich/

[Cassidy]

It's funny (or not funny depending on how you look at it) that you can, in that picture, almost see the stop light at Tillicum that will continue to back traffic up in the mornings coming into town, and in the evenings leaving town.

 

After the interchange is completed, I wonder if traffic on Carrey Road, Burnside Road, Gorge Road, Admirals Road and all the feeder roads leading to those roads from the downtown core will become so backed up with traffic as to see frequent gridlock ... this in an effort to bypass the Tillicum intersection.

 

None of these roads are designed to handle any more than local traffic, with McKenzie already gridlocked during the Crawl anyway, it would seem it could only get worse.

 

Some would say not doing both the McKenzie and Tillicum intersections at the same time is tantamount to stupidity.

 

It will likely take folks all of one day to figure out that the (apparent) fastest way out of town is to go out the Swartz Bay Hwy to Mckenzie, and then take McKenzie to the Island Hwy. Of course all this will do is gridlock all the roads around Mckenzie 10 times worse than they already are.

 

I would posit that anybody who thinks the McKenzie Interchange will in any way result in the cessation of the Colwood Crawl (East or West) will be in for disappointment.

... although I could be wrong.

Edited by Cassidy, 11 September 2017 - 11:30 AM.

[Nparker]

The CRD transportation motto: "Building the roads of yesterday, today; paying for them tomorrow".

[Mike K.]

Yup, pretty much. The entire stretch of the TCH should have had interchanges from day one and three lanes in each direction from McKenzie.

 

But hey, $460 million Fastcats (priced at $674 million in today's dollars) were a priority.