Construction is underway on the next stretch of improvements – set to finish this summer – to create a transit hub in Saanich.
Windley Contracting Ltd. of Nanaimo was awarded the contract in fall 2024 for Ravine Way upgrades to the roadway and infrastructure including four new bus stops – two on Highway 1 – with shelters and dedicated bus lanes at Uptown.
“These improvements on Ravine Way between Highway 1 and Highway 17/Vernon Avenue will play an important role in the future of the transit-oriented commitments made recently by the province near Uptown. A dedicated bus lane on Ravine Way will support the development of RapidBus on the Peninsula and McKenzie (Avenue)," BC Transit said in a statement to Saanich News.
This allows for improved transit service and BC Transit to optimize routes and travel in the area, BC Transit added.
“These changes also support the planned future Uptown Mobility Hub, which will allow for improved service frequency, reliability and connections between routes serving the Uptown area. The new RapidBus stations constructed on Highway 1 will be closer to the Galloping Goose overpass to better connect to multi-modal trails and the future Uptown Mobility Hub.”
The work connects transit services in the region and follows other improvements – such as the Highway 1 project for buses on shoulder lanes, the Colquitz bridges widening project and the transit-priority lanes in the Six Mile area of View Royal – to create easier, continuous and faster travel between communities.
It’s another step in developing the Uptown Mobility Hub, a part of the province’s South Island Transportation Strategy, which focuses on improving the sustainability and resiliency of the region through highway, transit and active transportation improvements.
The transit exchange is positioned as a nexus for active transportation and public transit, with connections to downtown Victoria, the University of Victoria, the West Shore and the Saanich Peninsula. It also aims to improve pedestrian safety and active transportation surrounding the hub by improving crosswalks and intersections, and creating new multi-use pathways to build connections to the adjacent Galloping Goose Regional Trail network.
Announced in spring 2024, funding for the Uptown Mobility Hub was committed in September of that year, with the province pitching in $15.5 million and the federal government $4.5 million.
