Work on the new new fencing and boulevard upgrades along a 700-metre stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway between Beverly Street and James Street/York Road is expected to begin this fall.
The Ministry of Transportation and Transit said the project will go to tender in early September, with work expected to start in fall and be completed by the spring of 2026.
A 1.8-metre-high fence will be installed on the median along the TCH in that area to encourage students from the new Quw'utsun Secondary School, which is adjacent to the highway, and other pedestrians to use marked and signalled crosswalks in that stretch of the TCH.
A statement from the ministry said a continuous landscaped median will replace open sections, and all left-turn bays in the median will be permanently closed.
“Signals at Beverly Street and York Road/James Street will be adjusted to handle more pedestrians and to provide a longer left-turn lane onto York Road,” the ministry said. “The upgrades will improve safety for students, families and other pedestrians, and support smoother traffic flow on the busy section of Highway 1 near Quw'utsun Secondary School.”
The ministry said signage will be installed on the fencing indicating pedestrians are prohibited, and the median fencing will be 1.8 m tall and will not have footholds or a smooth top rail to help climbing.
“These short-term improvements will enhance safety along the corridor while the future of the [pedestrian overpass] is being determined,” the ministry said. “Once the fencing is installed, ongoing monitoring will assess its effectiveness and to determine if additional measures such as enhanced lighting, signal timing, or more fencing should be considered.”
The province scrapped plans for a new pedestrian overpass that was going to be constructed across the TCH in that area in May, and proposed the fencing as a temporary alternative.
The ministry said at the time that funding for the overpass had not yet been secured and, while the overpass remains in the province’s future plans, the timing of its construction will depend on funding availability.
Currently, there are no safe options for people to cross the busy, four-lane highway between the Beverly Street and James Street/York Road intersections.
Approximately 30 per cent of all pedestrian movements across this section of the highway are against existing signed pedestrian restrictions, or in areas where at-grade pedestrian crossings may not be safe.
With the recent opening of the new high school, which has more than 1,100 students, the number of people crossing the highway to reach restaurants and businesses has grown considerably.
