2-year construction project set to begin on busy Vancouver Island highway

Construction will soon begin on improvementsto Vancouver Island's Highway 4, the only route to the popular tourist destinationsof Tofino and Ucluelet.

The project at Kennedy Hill is slated to begin in April and finish by the summer of 2020, and will involve late-night closures in both directions on the two-lane highway.

Janelle Irwin, deputy director for the South Coast region with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, says the closures are necessitated by the ambitious nature of the project, which will result in wider lanes and shoulders on a narrow, 1.5-kilometre stretch of highway through steep, rocky terrain.

"We're doing rock cuts of up to 60 metres in some places, so it's pretty significant," Irwin said. "To do those blasts ... we need some pretty significant closure windows."

Closure times adjusted

On Monday, the ministry announced a revised schedule for highway closures based on community feedback on the original schedule.

Under the revised schedule, closures will begin at 10 p.m. PT and end at 7 a.m. PT, year round. Closures will happen in two- to three-hour blocks, with one-hour breaks in between to allow single-lane alternating traffic through.

"What we heard when we went out to the public earlier in January was that 10 p.m. would really go a long way to help people in their regular day-to-day use of the corridor," Irwin said.

On Friday nights, stoppages have been pushed back until 1 a.m. PT on Saturdays. Irwin said the change was made to reflect the travel habits of tourists, who often travel to town on Friday evenings.

Safety upgrades worth disruption, MLA says

Irwin said the ministry has taken seasonal tourism patterns into account in its construction schedule.

While she notes the closures will be disruptive, she expects residents and tourists alike to adjust to the closures relatively quickly and adapt their travel plans accordingly.

Scott Fraser, MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim, believes the disruptions will be worth it for the safety upgrades.

"Over my years as MLA, I have heard countless stories of close calls and concerns about safety at Kennedy Hill from people who have driven Highway 4," Fraser said in a release.

"This project will help keep all vehicles moving safely."

Construction will be carried out by Emil Anderson Construction, a Kelowna-based firm. The ministry says the contract is worth $29 million.