33 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

When was the TCH completed? I seem to recall as a real youngster driving down the highway for the first time and thinking the blasted rock was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

[HB]

Mid to Late 1950s ( If you need it narrowd down have a look at the date on the road bridge on the TCH that is above Interurban. all concrete and steel bridges in this Province have the manufacture date on a plaque or in concrete . You have to look at the bridge on the north side it is the original one the south side was added when the highway was widened

Then in  mid 1970s was widened to 4 lanes

then in mid 1990 widened evn more and interchanges added

 

When it was 2 lanes there were countless accidents each year from people pulling onto the highway from side roads

 

Here is a partial list of Roads that are still there that used to enter on the highway are many. They just had stop signs

 

Starting in Langford

 

Spencer

Florence Lake

Matson

Brock

Deville

Millstream -used to be a big gravel parking lot at Millstream too with a flashing neon sign that said RACES TONIGHT advertising for Western Speedway Sat night Races

Thetis Lake access

Highland Rd

Helmcken

Wilkinson  and probably many more that I cant think of right now.

 

We used to go down the highway from Langford and turn left onto Wilkinson where it entered the Highway just east of Portage inlet then out to Pat Bay Highway via McKenzie.

 

Also remember (not that long ago) To get to Pat Bay Highway we woudl take Tillicum up to carey then out to McKenzie . McKenzie had a good sized hill you would have to drive up to the Stop sign at Pat Bay Highway. They removed the hill when the Hwy 17 overpass was built. I remember driving my fathers car out to the Motor Vehicle testing station and getting to that stop sign hoping I would make it and not screw up the clutch and roll into the guy behind me at that hill.Having my father sitting next to me yelling at me that if I didnt clutch properly and I did roll back the least of my worries would be the damage to the car. I didnt need to ask what he meant. That was enough for me and I made it.

 

There were a lot of home expropriated when teh highway was pushed through Especially from Town and Country to Tillicum where those roads are all now bisected by the highway. Those side roads used to all connect and they only had stop signs at the CN crossing (galloping goose trail)

Edited by History Buff, 13 January 2014 - 11:01 PM.

[Mike K.]

Wow HB, thanks for that

So what's the story with the Old Island Highway that starts at Admirals and Craigflower (Craigflower becomes OIH at that point). Did it connect with where the TCH overpass is at OIH and Sooke Road?

[HB]

Hwy 1A is the Old Island Highway and was the only way to get north out of Victoria.

You can still drive so many parts of the original highway between Victoria and Nanaimo.

 

The original highway went like this and most of it as I said is still intact. Kinda of like teh US route 66

 

Island Highway started at Government and Gorge at the Roundabout

 

Left on Gorge

Left on Admirals

Right on Craigflower(Island Highway)

Up Colwood Strip

Left on Goldstream all the way to other end of Goldstream.

Through Goldstram Park up the Malahat then at Bamberton Take Mill Bay Rd along the water

On Other side of Mill Bay by Fridays Rest/PetroCan get  onto Cobble Hill Rd which crosses the highway near Dougan Lake

then drive along this road through Cowichan Bay ten along Tzouhalem Road and then through Crofton and Chamainus and then out to Ladysmith

From Ladysmith to Nanaimo Cedar Rd through Yellowpoint and out to Chase River were part of teh Original route.

 

When the TCH was built just like in the US when the Interstate system was developed the highway took the most straight through route at the time and teh old island highway ened up criss crossing the new one.

 

When the highways were being expanded this was in part due to the growth of tghe automobile and more and more people were taking road trips.

Cars never were abloe to go as far as they could today on a tank of gas and the roads were not built for speed.

this is the reason there used to be so many Auto Courts and Motels.

Gorge road was known as Motel Row as was Craigflower and Goldstream.

 

How Many motels, Motor Courts and service stations do you remember along the route.

 

Here is a hint..........

 

 

 

Edited by History Buff, 13 January 2014 - 11:57 PM.

[Mike K.]

Nice! Thanks HB.

 

Going back to fantasy road networks, if you look at the end of Harriet Road in Saanich and the end of Arm Street in Vic West you'll see what appears to have been a once planned easement for a bridge between these two streets. This bridge, if it ever was a plan, would have been an equal distance between the Tillicum Bridge and the Selkirk Trestle just like the Bay Street Bridge is just a hair off an equal distance from the Johnson Street Bridge and the Selkirk Trestle. All of a sudden the Harriet/Arm crossing makes a little bit more sense when you look at it that way.

 

It really is too bad we only have two road crossing in Victoria. A third one, perhaps between the Bay and Johnson Street bridges would come in handy in modern day Victoria.

 

Edit: which begs the question, were Garthland in Esquimalt and Dysart in Saanich ever meant to connect? That would have been an equidistant location between the Craigflower and Tillicum Bridges. Hmmm... You know Garthland, unlike mostvstreets in that area other than Dellwood (which could have connected with Adelaide), literally fronts onto the Gorge! Forshaw fronts onto the Gorge too but it's too close to the Tillicum Bridge.

[LJ]

Island Highway started at Government and Gorge at the Roundabout

 

Left on Gorge

Left on Admirals

Right on Craigflower(Island Highway)

Up Colwood Strip

Left on Goldstream all the way to other end of Goldstream.

Through Goldstram Park up the Malahat then at Bamberton Take Mill Bay Rd along the water

On Other side of Mill Bay by Fridays Rest/PetroCan get  onto Cobble Hill Rd which crosses the highway near Dougan Lake

then drive along this road through Cowichan Bay ten along Tzouhalem Road and then through Crofton

 

 

Shouldn't it be right on Goldstream?

[HB]

correct

[G-Man]

I have often dreamed of hwy 17 going underground just before getting to Uptown. Where there is a rise right near the Wang building and then have it come out just at Cloverdale. This would allow for the sale of a significant amount of land for redevelopment. 

[D.L.]

Living in the area I often find myself driving from Rockland Ave. through to Shelbourne St. It's an annoying zig-zag route which requires two left turns that you can wait at for a while at some times of day.
 
Here's the route now

 
Here's how it could have been if city planners had the foresight to do things properly

[D.L.]

Also, wouldn't it be nice if this outcropping of rock at the east end of North Dairy Rd. were removed so that the road connected with Richmond Rd. Well I doubt the people living in the neighbourhood would like it!



But we could turn this route...


into this :-)

[nagel]

Yup that's the thing with all these is going to be. Good for commuters bad for nimbys

[sdwright.vic]

Make Blanshard one out of town and Douglas one way into town. Have a connector fly over to the TCH at Ravine way.

[nagel]

That's a really long flyover no?

I really think there is little appetite for two 6 lane highways in the middle of town by people who don't live in the westshore but poll away!

[sdwright.vic]

I live in Victoria, but I would love not getting stuck in Douglas out of town grid lock at 2:00 PM in the afternoon. 6 lanes are too much, but two of them could be dedicated bus rapid transit lanes, two could be dedicated return lanes and take away a lane for dedicated green ways.