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[Trans Canada Highway] McKenzie Interchange - McKenzie Avenue, Admirals Road and TCH


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#21 gumgum

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Posted 25 August 2010 - 06:01 AM

After spending much time travelling back and forth from Vic General, I realize that this interchange is vital. Victorians should have quick and direct access to their main hospital no matter what time of day it is.
I would hate to be in an emergency health situation to find myself stuck amongst other Langford commuter traffic. Although in the grand scheme the delay may not be all that long, an extra twenty or thirty minutes could be a matter of life or death.
I'm actually surprised this aspect of the issue hasn't been brought up before.

#22 Mike K.

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Posted 25 August 2010 - 09:58 AM

After spending much time travelling back and forth from Vic General, I realize that this interchange is vital. Victorians should have quick and direct access to their main hospital no matter what time of day it is.
I would hate to be in an emergency health situation to find myself stuck amongst other Langford commuter traffic. Although in the grand scheme the delay may not be all that long, an extra twenty or thirty minutes could be a matter of life or death.
I'm actually surprised this aspect of the issue hasn't been brought up before.


It's a mess of an intersection and you bring up a very good point, gg. I've also found myself having to drive to and from the VicGen area more frequently than before and even at 6:30AM the traffic backing up from the west shore regularly stretches to the Helmcken overpass. As the morning rush increases the jam just gets longer.

It's hard to fathom how we ended up with over $50-million of highway overpass projects in the CRD (albeit one doesn't even connect to anything!) and this intersection has remained untouched. It's a crying shame.

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#23 Baro

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Posted 25 August 2010 - 10:24 AM

Get rid of most of the houses out that way and replace them with apartments and townhouses in the city, problem solved. Geez doesn't anyone have common sense anymore?
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#24 Bernard

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Posted 25 August 2010 - 10:33 AM

The crazy thing is the province already owns all the land needed to build the interchange

#25 Mike K.

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Posted 25 August 2010 - 10:55 AM

The federal Conservatives promised to build the interchange if their candidate was elected.

No doubt De Souza will be back next time around with the same promise.

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#26 sebberry

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Posted 25 August 2010 - 11:11 AM

If a bridge gets built there, how will that impact the potential for an LRT between Victoria and the Western Communities?

This is why we need a long-term regional transportation strategy that encompasses a variety of transportation forms.

We have a new JSB that will likely knock rail out of downtown, we're trying bendy busses that will just get stuck in traffic, we want this here and that there, but definately not that there and maybe we could do this over here...

What we need to do is put all major projects on hold for 2 years and come up with designs for several different transportation possibilities accounting for reduced parking space downtown and increased population.

Back to the congestion on HWY1 - most of the people plugging it up are people commuting to and from work. The dreadded "single occupant vehicle".

Most of which don't need their car for work, but feel that because a bus will just get stuck in traffic anyway continue to hop in their car.

With strategically placed stations an LRT would attract many drivers who now have to put up with major congestion, increasing parking rates, decreased parking availability, etc...

This should clear up the roads for people who DO need their cars for work and also people shopping and need to stuff their cars full of bits from Costco that won't fit on a bus.

A bridge at McKenzie does little to alleviate several of the issues that drivers will be faced with over the next couple of decades. Rail really is the only option that makes enough sense and addresses more than just congestion problems.

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#27 Mike K.

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Posted 25 August 2010 - 04:11 PM

We could build the world's best transit system and we'd still have single passenger vehicles clogging up our roads. And regardless of who uses the HWY/McKenzie intersection, its a major transportation nexus and congestion there needs to be addressed with a proper interchange.

As for LRT, I don't see how an overpass could hinder its operation as it would stay at-grade with HWY1 traffic.

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#28 Hotel Mike

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Posted 25 August 2010 - 05:02 PM

De Souza made the promise Mike. I don't believe the Conservative government ever committed to anything for the intersection.

#29 Mike K.

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Posted 25 August 2010 - 08:10 PM

De Souza made the promise on behalf of the Conservatives. If he got elected, he would raise the issue and do the work that needs to be done in order to secure federal funding.

I believe the brunt of his campaign was focused on the interchange.

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#30 Lover Fighter

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Posted 26 August 2010 - 05:29 PM

Mike K's point is valid, no matter how much transit we have travelling between Westshore and Downtown, there will still be vehicle traffic travelling somewhere between Victoria, Sooke, Up-island, and the Peninsula. It's not as if this would be an interchange serving the suburbs, it's a vital link connecting the intercity highways of the region.

#31 sebberry

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Posted 26 August 2010 - 06:08 PM

Mike K's point is valid, no matter how much transit we have travelling between Westshore and Downtown, there will still be vehicle traffic travelling somewhere between Victoria, Sooke, Up-island, and the Peninsula. It's not as if this would be an interchange serving the suburbs, it's a vital link connecting the intercity highways of the region.


Of course there will still be traffic, but much of the traffic now is people driving to and from downtown to work. If you can get those people onto the train, you free it up a lot for people who use that route for other purposes.

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#32 LJ

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Posted 26 August 2010 - 07:26 PM

I don't know how long you would "free it up" as when the population grows it will eventually get clogged up again. But doing nothing is not an option.
If you never build an interchange it just means that traffic that requires roadways, such freight trucks, ambulances, fire trucks, buses, work trucks, delivery vehicles, taxis, service vehicles, people that require a vehicle at work etc. are going to get delayed more and more.

This will lead to more problems including road rage incidents.

You have to do something to ensure the traffic can move smoothly and efficiently to reduce travel times and emissions as well as providing a viable transit commuting option that is relatively inexpensive, convenient, and quick.

My preference would be an interchange at McKenzie and Skytrain from Westshore to a new uptown transit hub that provided tram service down Douglas and to UVic.

Just as an aside the Skytrain from downtown Vancouver to YVR (Canada Line) just celebrated it's first year of operation. It carried 36 million passengers, well ahead of forecast numbers.
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#33 Lover Fighter

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Posted 26 August 2010 - 08:17 PM

Of course there will still be traffic, but much of the traffic now is people driving to and from downtown to work. If you can get those people onto the train, you free it up a lot for people who use that route for other purposes.


I agree with you that it will free up much of the traffic, but I think you missed the point that people will still drive to Nanaimo or to go camping somewhere out in the bush on the island. And nearly all of that traffic is funnelled through the McKenzie/TCH intersection. In my opinion, Metro Vancouver does an amazing job complimenting its road infrastructure with public transit. For example, they are upgrading the section of the TCH from Burnaby to Surrey... not to encourage more people to drive from their suburban home to downtown, but to allow long distance traffic to flow in and out of the city. Vancouver is in a similar situation as Victoria where it is surrounded by mountains and ocean so that intercity traffic is forced to travel along a very small number of corridors. And to compliment this road expansion they have increased public transit access in Surrey. There are rumours that the next Skytrain expansion after the Evergreen line will extend from King George Station. (And I think they are even adding bus-only lanes on the new Port Mann Bridge in the meantime).

I understand that even in the FAR future when there may be better intercity rail service on the island there will less vehicles making the drive upisland, but with increased population growth I can't forsee the intersection as is ever meeting demand.

#34 PulpVictor

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Posted 13 September 2010 - 02:57 PM

Can anyone say AMALGAMATION? If we didn't have such a pathetic, wasteful, cumbersome form of municipal governance we wouldn't have to worry about one or another municipality having to pay for more than its fair share of infrastructure. And where the heck is the Federal money for the Number One? I once wrote to Kevin Falcon regarding the idiotic ONLY HIGHWAY of the island. Imagine having to travel up and down the island every day, and stopping at every bloody light....just when you have gotten up to the speed limit! His answer was roundabouts. Lord, have mercy.

#35 LJ

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Posted 13 September 2010 - 07:35 PM

I agree with you that it will free up much of the traffic, but I think you missed the point that people will still drive to Nanaimo or to go camping somewhere out in the bush on the island. And nearly all of that traffic is funnelled through the McKenzie/TCH intersection. In my opinion, Metro Vancouver does an amazing job complimenting its road infrastructure with public transit. For example, they are upgrading the section of the TCH from Burnaby to Surrey... not to encourage more people to drive from their suburban home to downtown, but to allow long distance traffic to flow in and out of the city. Vancouver is in a similar situation as Victoria where it is surrounded by mountains and ocean so that intercity traffic is forced to travel along a very small number of corridors. And to compliment this road expansion they have increased public transit access in Surrey. There are rumours that the next Skytrain expansion after the Evergreen line will extend from King George Station. (And I think they are even adding bus-only lanes on the new Port Mann Bridge in the meantime).
I understand that even in the FAR future when there may be better intercity rail service on the island there will less vehicles making the drive upisland, but with increased population growth I can't forsee the intersection as is ever meeting demand.



Agreed. I think another possible solution, as well as the overpass, would be to get a bridge across Finlayson Arm from Deep Cove, so all those people coming off the ferries and heading to Duncan, Cowichan etc. don't have to come all the way into the city before heading northbound.

This would also provide an alternative to the Malahat gong show.
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#36 Mike K.

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Posted 14 September 2010 - 08:35 AM

^that bridge proposal was a total gong show in and of itself. The idea was proposed several years ago and North Saanich residents wanted nothing to do with it (nevermind the fact that such a bridge would be a tremendously difficult undertaking unless it were a floating crossing).

If the Liberal's will lose the upcoming election, we have an opportunity to press NDP candidates on this issue. After all, they were responsible for many highway projects on the Island during the 90's, including the building of wonky overpasses all throughout the Inland Island Highway and an overpass just shy of the Schwartz Bay ferry terminal that serves only a handful of vehicles.

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#37 Baro

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Posted 14 September 2010 - 09:21 AM

Wouldn't it be nice if transport upgrades had something to do with traffic and regional transport plans rather than which party the area's MLA belongs to? It's shameful.
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#38 PulpVictor

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Posted 14 September 2010 - 04:53 PM

I took a very unofficial survey this morning at 7:15 of the Spencer road #1 intersection. Of the 150 cars going in to town, only 2 had more than one passenger. Statistics tell me that about 5/8ths of those people work in some public capacity. I say all government workers should be MADE to take public transportation. The answer I usually get to this proposal, and usually from government workers, is they need their car to go to lunch and run errands. Insane.

#39 Baro

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Posted 14 September 2010 - 06:25 PM

Getting lunch is about the only thing no one who works in town needs a car for.
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#40 concorde

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Posted 14 September 2010 - 06:55 PM

I should say it took 30 min to go from Thriftys on Admirals to the island highway at about 4pm today. The reason for the delay you ask - cars waiting to turn left onto the highway. Apparently this is normal.

We need a full cloverleaf intersection now!!!!

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