Long-weekend relief for Malahat travellers as additional highway lane opens

Travellers along the Malahat Highway will have an extra lane to use, just in time for the long-weekend rush.

Crews have excavatedrock to widen the narrow section of Highway 1 and have re-established a second lane northbound through the Malahatvillage, which will remain open for weekends throughout the summer, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

"Not only will the lane be open, we'll also make sure that there's no work happening so people aren't inclined to look around and slow down as a result of the work," said regional deputy director Janelle Erwin.

For the remainder of the summer, the additional northbound lane will be open from Friday afternoons through Sunday evenings on non-holiday weekends, and through to Monday evenings on holidays, Erwin said.

"We'll still have that northbound lane closed outside of those peak periods ... so the contractor can complete the work in time for the end of the summer."

Even with the additional lane, Erwin advises drivers to plan ahead and allowfor extra time as traffic will still be heavy through the area.

With files from All Points West