The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is completing several projects on Vancouver Island representing a $750,000 investment to improve the safety and reliability of the provincial road network.

“This year’s community safety enhancement program on Vancouver Island is ensuring safer connections for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, which will benefit recreational and commercial traffic as well as local residents and commuters,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone. “We talked to local governments and police to find out the safety priorities for each community, and the selected projects have been driven by community input to address local concerns.”

“These projects are going to have a big impact on residents’ quality of life, improving safety for all who use these roads and routes,” said Parksville-Qualicum MLA Michelle Stilwell. “The Wembley Road and Nanoose emergency access improvements will increase safe travel for both drivers and pedestrians and bring relief from long traffic queues during highway closures.”

“Many of these projects favour pedestrians, transit users and cyclists,” said Comox Valley MLA Don McRae. “I applaud our local Vancouver Island municipalities for including all highway users, in addition to just motorists, when recommending priorities under the Community Safety Enhancement Program.”

The Government of British Columbia is investing nearly $5 million this year on more than 40 projects provincewide under the Community Safety Enhancement Program. Projects on Vancouver Island include:

• Highway 30 Port Alice, $40,000: improved roadside delineation along the length of the corridor and vegetation control to improve visibility and enhance safety. Work will be completed by late fall 2015.
• Guthrie Road, $75,000: 600 metres of shoulder widening to enhance pedestrian and cyclist safety outside of Comox. This project has been completed.
• Port Alberni highway improvements, $100,000: safety improvements along Highway 4 which include refreshing crosswalk markings, upgrading signing, and installing left turn arrows for eastbound traffic on Highway 4 at the Cherry Creek Road and Broughton Street intersections. Work will be completed by late fall 2015.
• Wembley Road pedestrian improvements, $250,000: widening 1.2 kilometres of shoulder on the west side of Wembley Road from the Parksville boundary to Wright Road, installing a new crosswalk with lighting at the Roberton Boulevard intersection, and widening existing bus pull outs along the corridor. Work will be completed by late fall 2015.
• Nanoose emergency access improvements, $150,000: includes reconstructed traffic islands and the installation of an emergency access median gate to help manage traffic queues during highway closures. Work will be completed by late fall 2015.
• Highway 1 safety improvements at Allenby Road, $110,000: reconstructed traffic islands with let-downs for pedestrian accessibility, delineation and updated signing. This project has been completed.

Learn more:

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