Work on a communications tower at the top of a Saanich mountain means no access for residents for three days this month.
Saanich is conducting exploratory work at the summit of PKOLS (Mt. Doug Park) from the evening of Nov. 25 through Nov. 28. The road and all trails leading to the summit will be closed.
“To ensure the safety of the public, the parking lot at the Churchill Drive entrance and Churchill Drive will be closed to vehicles. Pedestrians will not be able to walk up Churchill Drive to the summit on these days. Trails leading to the summit will also be closed,” the district said in a news release.
The area will be monitored to maintain a safe work space for contractors and ensure the public’s safety.
Saanich is replacing the tower to meet new federal regulations that require updates to be completed by the end of 2024. Those new regulations happened to align with the maintenance schedule of the 50-year-old tower, which was already in the works and budget.
The project site faced some pushback from the public, as the district selected a new site for the communications tower that residents worried would ruin the park's esthetic.
The tower is a crucial part of CREST operations, the regional emergency communications infrastructure.
Installing the foundation, monopole and site clean-up is expected to take around 90 days, the district said previously.
