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Highway 14 / Sooke Road / Old Island Highway discussion


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#1 Mike K.

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Posted 25 July 2013 - 04:59 PM

Yesterday afternoon I found myself driving west along Highway 14/Sooke Road. Never, ever would I have imagined that we now have a "Sooke crawl" that made the normally 20 minute drive between Happy Valley Road in Langford and Sooke town centre stretch out to just over 40 minutes. And this is the middle of the summer when many commuters are on holidays and kids are not being chauffeured back home from school.

In total the drive between downtown Victoria and Sooke took one hour and twenty minutes, and that's with some creative shortcuts to get onto the Trans Canada.

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#2 weirdie

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Posted 25 July 2013 - 05:37 PM

There was an accident just outside of Sooke involving a motorbike yesterday afternoon, which probably had something to do with it. I've never experienced anything that I would call a "Sooke crawl" unless there's an accident or flooded road.

#3 vandervalk

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Posted 25 July 2013 - 06:12 PM

Yesterday afternoon I found myself driving west along Highway 14/Sooke Road. Never, ever would I have imagined that we now have a "Sooke crawl" that made the normally 20 minute drive between Happy Valley Road in Langford and Sooke town centre stretch out to just over 40 minutes. And this is the middle of the summer when many commuters are on holidays and kids are not being chauffeured back home from school.

In total the drive between downtown Victoria and Sooke took one hour and twenty minutes, and that's with some creative shortcuts to get onto the Trans Canada.


There was a motorcycle accident that happened east of Sasseno's school just before 4pm which clogged traffic all the way back to Gillespie. It wasn't a road closure but they were opening one side at a time for a couple of hours.

I'm lived in Sooke for 6 years now and not often does it take me an hour from downtown to downtown. Average time is 40-45 going in in the morning and 55 on the way back around 5pm.
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#4 Mike K.

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 03:00 PM

Colwood kicked off upgrades along the Old Island Highway today.

http://www.colwood.c...-island-highway

Beginning October 8th, the City of Colwood will be working on landscaping enhancements to the Old Island Highway. The work is expected to take approximately 8 weeks to complete, wrapping up in early December.

Feature island in the centre lane
The first step in the plan is to create an entrance to Colwood by constructing a median island at our border near the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre. Once complete, the island will be landscaped with trees and plants as well as a new welcome to Colwood sign. (See the drawing below.)

New life along the boulevard
A variety of native trees will be planted along the boulevards from the entrance up to the Wale Road area. Rain gardens with shrubs, low grasses and rock features will add visual interest and help to manage storm water.



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#5 Mike K.

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 03:00 PM

Colwood kicked off upgrades along the Old Island Highway today.

http://www.colwood.c...-island-highway

Beginning October 8th, the City of Colwood will be working on landscaping enhancements to the Old Island Highway. The work is expected to take approximately 8 weeks to complete, wrapping up in early December.

Feature island in the centre lane
The first step in the plan is to create an entrance to Colwood by constructing a median island at our border near the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre. Once complete, the island will be landscaped with trees and plants as well as a new welcome to Colwood sign. (See the drawing below.)

New life along the boulevard
A variety of native trees will be planted along the boulevards from the entrance up to the Wale Road area. Rain gardens with shrubs, low grasses and rock features will add visual interest and help to manage storm water.



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#6 Mike K.

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Posted 28 August 2017 - 09:43 AM

The family of a teen killed in a crash crash along Sooke Road is suing the District of Sooke, the province and a road maintenance contractor. The suit alleges the governments are aware of the dangers of the road, while the road itself is poorly maintained (difficulty seeing lines, etc.).

 

Family of teen killed on Vancouver Island highway launches lawsuit

http://vancouversun....aunches-lawsuit


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#7 HB

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Posted 28 August 2017 - 10:08 AM

Inspiration from Mike Duffy perhaps?

I understand their pain but seriously how can they lay blame on the contractors the mini and the government.They claim the driver was speeding that will be a difficult one to prove especially when the police don't know that

Edited by HB, 28 August 2017 - 10:11 AM.


#8 malahatdrive

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Posted 28 August 2017 - 10:39 AM

Colwood kicked off upgrades along the Old Island Highway today.

http://www.colwood.c...-island-highway


OIH-entrance-island-web.jpg

And they are keeping it a four-lanes!? Amazing!



#9 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 28 August 2017 - 11:17 AM

The family of a teen killed in a crash crash along Sooke Road is suing the District of Sooke, the province and a road maintenance contractor. The suit alleges the governments are aware of the dangers of the road, while the road itself is poorly maintained (difficulty seeing lines, etc.).

 

Family of teen killed on Vancouver Island highway launches lawsuit

http://vancouversun....aunches-lawsuit

 

The father is a government worker (CRD).  So taxpayers will fund both sides of the lawsuit.


Edited by VicHockeyFan, 28 August 2017 - 11:18 AM.

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#10 AllseeingEye

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Posted 28 August 2017 - 09:32 PM

Was there or was there not some plan or proposed project reported in the media (can't recall if it was VV or some other source) a year or so back that talked about grading and widening the road-bed and making #14 a four-lane thoroughfare all the way from the TCHwy to Sooke, including electronic reader boards...IOW giving it at least semblance of being an actual high-way? Or did that never take flight?



#11 malahatdrive

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Posted 29 August 2017 - 06:58 AM

Was there or was there not some plan or proposed project reported in the media (can't recall if it was VV or some other source) a year or so back that talked about grading and widening the road-bed and making #14 a four-lane thoroughfare all the way from the TCHwy to Sooke, including electronic reader boards...IOW giving it at least semblance of being an actual high-way? Or did that never take flight?

 

Nothing concrete - however the government is currently in the midst of Highway 14 study to discover options to improve the road - I am sure a new road is being considered as part of this. This report is due out this fall.

 

Also to note the current Premier lives near Highway 14 - and has mentioned he would like to see the road improved - for what that is worth.


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#12 malahatdrive

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Posted 29 August 2017 - 08:04 AM

Was there or was there not some plan or proposed project reported in the media (can't recall if it was VV or some other source) a year or so back that talked about grading and widening the road-bed and making #14 a four-lane thoroughfare all the way from the TCHwy to Sooke, including electronic reader boards...IOW giving it at least semblance of being an actual high-way? Or did that never take flight?

In terms of a connector between Highway 1 and 14 that is the West Shore Parkway project which is almost complete and will open this fall: http://www.langford....on-project.html



#13 malahatdrive

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Posted 21 November 2017 - 11:05 AM

Premier asks for re-do on Highway 14 study

https://www.saanichn...ghway-14-study/

 

 

A study on Highway 14 improvement has been delayed for a second time in less than a year at the insistence of Premier John Horgan.

The study, which was expected last spring and then promised again this fall, will now be pushed into 2018.

But with the delay comes an expansion of the study. The first study looked at an area from Langford to Sooke, that will be expanded to include Port Renfrew and West Coast Road.

“This means the ministry will take the report a step further, looking at ways to make travel along this route more reliable and to increase mobility, such as adding future passing lanes and potential short road re-alignments to straighten out some of the curves,” a statement released by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on Friday reads.

The call to expand the study is welcomed by local politicians.

Sooke Mayor Maja Tait saw an early draft of the report, but it didn’t include comments from referral organizations, such as ICBC, which could identify problematic areas on Highway 14.

“I would rather see [the government] spend a little extra time and get it right,” she said, noting such studies are only done about every 15 years.

For Capital Regional District Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Director Mike Hicks, any improvement to the roadway would be welcomed.

The report is expected to help local government with long-range planning, identify hazardous intersection and even visibility issues.

Both Hicks and Tait agree the biggest issues on Highway 14 are road darkness, dangerous curves, traffic loads and the lack of room for pedestrians.

“The whole road is falling apart because of the heavy trucks,” Hicks said.

A ministry spokesman said the original corridor study focused on safety upgrades because people who frequently travel the route told the government they were concerned about reliability and wanted to see it closed less frequently. The study also looked at ways to promote greater transit use, and how to encourage more cycling over the short and medium time frame.

The first findings identified road and transit improvements that could be implemented over the next year or two, in addition to the work that’s already underway. The review, however, didn’t go far enough to improve mobility along this corridor and to meet the demands of the increasing population, as more and more people make their homes and establish their businesses in the Sooke area.

Tait said Horgan, who is also the MLA for the area, is very familiar with the highway, driving it regularly.

“He knows the highway just as well as I do,” Tait said.

“I’m grateful he’s making sure all the work is fully incorporated.”



#14 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 26 July 2022 - 06:02 AM

Isn't the Colwood Crawl essentially solved?  Didn't COVID and the new interchange pretty much fix it?

 

 

 

Can we solve the Colwood crawl once and for all?

 

Transportation accounts for nearly half of the CRD’s emissions, and the region is not immune to the effects of climate change: last year’s heat dome killed 55 people on the Island alone. The new provincial climate strategy prioritizes reducing distance travelled and encouraging people to switch modes of transportation above any other means of lowering transportation emissions.

Trains, gondolas, ferries, bicycles, buses, light rail, and even more roads have all been pitched as solutions for the gridlock. 

The only thing that hasn’t been suggested is flying.  

But which ones could actually work? We spoke to advocates, politicians, and transportation planners to find out. 

 

https://www.capitald...e-colwood-crawl



#15 Ismo07

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Posted 26 July 2022 - 01:25 PM

Isn't the Colwood Crawl essentially solved?  Didn't COVID and the new interchange pretty much fix it?

 

 

 

Can we solve the Colwood crawl once and for all?

 

Transportation accounts for nearly half of the CRD’s emissions, and the region is not immune to the effects of climate change: last year’s heat dome killed 55 people on the Island alone. The new provincial climate strategy prioritizes reducing distance travelled and encouraging people to switch modes of transportation above any other means of lowering transportation emissions.

Trains, gondolas, ferries, bicycles, buses, light rail, and even more roads have all been pitched as solutions for the gridlock. 

The only thing that hasn’t been suggested is flying.  

But which ones could actually work? We spoke to advocates, politicians, and transportation planners to find out. 

 

https://www.capitald...e-colwood-crawl

 

I don't think the interchanged solved the stretch through Colwood...  Love the gondola idea  :)



#16 Mike K.

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Posted 26 July 2022 - 01:32 PM

Outside of the peak rush period, it’s great to not have that intersection.

Now in tandem with improvements to McKenzie at Admirals/TCH, View Royal pulled a fast one and reduced the through-lanes at Wilkinson and Watkiss to one lane, without a dedicated right-turn lane on Watkiss/Vic General (brilliant, make it impossible to access the hospital during heavy traffic times, why not). That pushed more traffic onto McKenzie.

This is why we fail on so many fronts in this region. 13 municipalities all fighting for control and considering themselves the most important of the 13.

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#17 lanforod

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Posted 26 July 2022 - 09:28 PM

It’s Helmcken and Watkiss but yes, that intersection is a major problem. View Royal to blame? Idiots.
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#18 Spy Black

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Posted 27 July 2022 - 07:00 AM

The Helmcken and Watkiss mess does some serious damage to that Eagle Creek shopping mall.

I live 5 minutes away, and would love to shop there ... but the traffic getting in and out of that mall is so brutal I continue to go to the somewhat "lesser" Tillicum Mall for my food and drugs needs.

I would be surprised if I'm the only near-by resident that shops elsewhere because of the endless traffic jam.



#19 Mike K.

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Posted 27 July 2022 - 07:03 AM

You’re definitely not. View Royal residents (and those bordering VR) are the ones wearing the road dieting more than anyone else. View Royal hates vehicles passing through to and from the West Shore, and they do everything they can to impede the flow of traffic to discourage driving through the muni, but things don’t work that way. And VR residents just end up stuck in traffic.

We’re either all in this together, or all against each other. And the only muni that I think has sincerely adopted the ‘do our part’ mentality is Langford.

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