Airport highway interchange one step closer to reality
Updated plans for the $24-million McTavish Road and Highway 17 interhcnage project near the Victoria International Airport. Image courtesy of the B.C. Ministry of Transportation.
A $24-million highway interchange project at McTavish Road and Highway 17, near the Victoria International Airport, is nearing construction and the provincial government is hosting an open house between 2PM and 8PM on Thursday, October 22, to present the latest plans to the community. The open house is to be held at the Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church at 9296 East Saanich Road.
From the provincial government’s website:
The Ministry is proceeding with the detailed design and construction of a grade-separated interchange to improve safety, enhance transit and improve access to the Victoria International Airport at Highway 17 (Patricia Bay Highway) and McTavish Road. The new interchange will include major improvements to the transit facilities including an expanded park and ride, transit exchange and other enhancements (including accommodation of Rapid Bus service). The interchange will also accommodate cyclists and pedestrians, and improve access to BC Ferries and the rest of the local road network. Reduced idling from stop-and-go traffic, along with greater transit usage, will result in more efficient energy use to yield better air quality with reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
The design of the interchange has changed since the initial release in May and many alterations have been attributed to community feedback. Construction on the interchange is expect to begin in late autumn or early winter.
Meanwhile, Langford’s contentious Spencer interchange remains closed to the public and the City’s bid to secure stimulus funding to assist in moving the $35-million project forward has failed.
To stay up to date on the latest news concerning the McTavish/Highway 17 interchange, refer to this thread in the discussion forum.
For more information on the October 22nd open house, click here.
To view a full size image of the updated interchange plans, click here.
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Responses to this Headline or Article
The five most recent replies to VibrantVictoria.ca's discussion forum's McTavish Road / Highway 17 (Victoria International Airport) interchange | Completed April 2011 thread, the most relevant thread to the above headline or article:
G-Man
Jul 07, 2011 at 11:04 amThey are two lane roundabout not one at McTavish
sebberry
Jul 08, 2011 at 11:48 amI'll admit to cocking up in the interchange today coming back from the airport.
I took the wrong exit, ended up going around the small roundabout before I got back into the big one to head south. Looking down the road at all the construction cones almost made me think I took the wrong exit again. That and the small sign for Victoria with the arrow seemed to be bent and pointing in the wrong direction.
Sorry, didn't have the camera running today.
Mike K.
Jul 08, 2011 at 12:14 pmOnce construction is complete and the cones are removed there will be even less confusion.
Bingo
Jul 08, 2011 at 9:05 pmI have been under the overpass numerous time on the way to Sidney and the Ferries, but I have not tried the roundabouts even for curiosity sake, so there are likely many more that have no need to use the thing.
However I continue to curse the lack of any improvements at McKenzie and the Trans Canada where the money should have been spent.
Nparker
Jul 08, 2011 at 9:48 pmQuote: ...I continue to curse the lack of any improvements at McKenzie and the Trans Canada where the money should have been spent.
And had that project been in a Provincially-held Liberal riding that was also a Federal-held Conservative riding it likely would have gone ahead. The McTavish project met both those criteria so it was the only significant highway infrastructure project funded in the region.
