Work has begun on a year-long, multi-million dollar project that will repave a stretch of Gorge Road and add safety improvements like protected bike lanes.
The section running between Blanshard Street to Harriet Road will also receive: bus stop and accessibility upgrades, new and upgraded crosswalks, traffic signal upgrades, landscaping, underground water main replacement and have a right turn slip lane removed.
Construction is expected to last until spring 2025.
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said residents are eager for safer and more convenient ways to get around the Burnside Gorge neighbourhood.
“A more walkable street with additional crosswalks and dedicated space for people on bikes will make using the street more enjoyable, make it easier for folk to connect and add new life to the heart of the neighbourhood,” the mayor said in a release.
The $13.2 million project is being built with $5.6 million from the federal government’s Canada Community-Building Fund, which supports municipal infrastructure and was previously known as the Gas Tax Fund.
The project will expand the All Ages and Abilities (AAA) cycling network by over two kilometres and will provide connection to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail, the Government Street protected bike lanes and other current and future biking routes.
Five new crosswalks will be added and bus stop upgrades will provide better connections for people riding BC Transit, the City of Victoria said in its release.
“We will continue to invest in communities to make them easier for Canadians to get around safely and to choose lower-emission modes of travel,” Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said, adding the project will improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, along with increasing transit-user comfort.
A B.C active transportation grant also contributed $500,000 for walking, cycling and rolling improvements along the project area.
“It’s great to see Victoria expanding its active transportation options even further and starting work on key safety improvements to the well-travelled Gorge Road route,” said Rob Fleming, B.C.’s minister of transportation.
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