Safety and mobility for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists will be improved at one of Nanaimo’s key intersections along Highway 19A as part of B.C. on the Move, the Province’s new 10-year transportation plan.

The Province and the City of Nanaimo will partner on improvements to the intersection of Highway 19A/Northfield Road/Boundary Avenue. Design work is underway and a contract for the work is expected to be tendered by fall 2015. Improvements will include:

• Constructing a new southbound acceleration lane from Northfield Road to Highway 19A;
• Constructing separate left turn and right turn lanes on Northfield Road to access the highway;
• Adding a new left-turn signal to the existing traffic signal on Highway 19A to access Northfield Road;
• Improvements for pedestrians, including installing countdown timers and audible walk signals;
• Constructing a westbound left turn bay on Northfield Road to Boundary Avenue and installing a new traffic signal;
• Building a new multi-use pathway between Boundary Avenue and the E&N trail, and improving the access to the existing pedestrian underpass; and,
• Extending the existing multi-use pathway on Boundary Avenue south to Mallard Drive to connect to future bike routes.

When work is completed, safety will also be improved as left turns will no longer be allowed from Boundary Avenue to Northfield Road.

This work is part of the $30 million over the next three years that the Province has dedicated to improve intersection safety in communities throughout British Columbia under the B.C. on the Move transportation plan. Additional projects to improve safety and mobility on the Vancouver Island highway network will be announced as they are finalized.

The project also builds on the City of Nanaimo’s Strategic Plan for Transportation and Mobility by improving road safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

Quotes:

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone -

“Throughout the province, we are partnering with local communities to improve safety as part of B.C. on the Move. This project is an excellent example of this. Working with the City of Nanaimo, this work will help reduce the number and severity of crashes and make it safer for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.”

Mayor of Nanaimo Bill McKay -

“These frequently used intersections have presented safety concerns to Nanaimo’s residents and visitors for years. The funding being provided by the Province, ICBC and the city to address these challenges will greatly improve the safety for those passing through these intersections by car, truck, bus or bike.”

Parksville-Qualicum MLA Michelle Stilwell -

“Making this intersection safer is a top priority for our community. This partnership will make that happen for the drivers, cyclists and pedestrians who use this intersection every day. The new pathway connection to the E&N Trail and the extension of the existing pathway is an added bonus.”

Quick Facts:

• Through B.C. on the Move, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will invest almost $2.5 billion over the next three years to improve British Columbia’s transportation network.
• B.C. on the Move was developed incorporating feedback received from a wide-ranging public engagement, during which over 12,500 survey responses were received from British Columbians throughout the province, and the B.C. on the Move website was visited over 44,000 times.
• Since 2001, the provincial government and its partners have invested more than $30 million in transportation infrastructure improvements in the Nanaimo area.

Learn More:

Find out more about B.C. on the Move at http://engage.gov.bc.ca/transportationplan/

Follow the work of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure online at: http://www.tranbc.ca

For more information about the project, visit the City of Nanaimo website: http://bit.ly/1gWJMge

Media Contacts:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
250 356-8241