Transit users travelling through the western communities will soon enjoy a faster commute as work begins on a new bus-queue jump lane at Jacklin Road and Highway 14/Sooke Road.

“This gives people one more incentive to take transit and with it, we are opening the door for more commuters to take the bus,” said Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “Along with our commitment to priority bus lanes along the Douglas Street corridor, people will spend less time on the bus stuck in traffic and more time with family and friends.”

The eastbound bus-queue lane will start roughly 100 metres before the intersection and will allow transit buses to bypass congestion and traffic build-up from the intersection. The lane will continue after the intersection along Highway 14, before buses will merge back with the flow of traffic.

“We’re proud to work with our provincial and local partners to introduce new infrastructure that supports transit services in Greater Victoria,” said Susan Brice, chair of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission. “This project will integrate nicely into transit priority projects on the Island Highway, Highway 1 and Douglas Street that will help to reduce travel times for transit customers.”

The project will also reconfigure the intersection of Jacklin Road and Highway 14 to improve safety and sight lines, along with increasing the left-hand turning lane capacity from Highway 14 onto Jacklin Road. In order to complete the work, crews will rebuild the sidewalk on the north side of Highway 14 and install a new BC Transit bus stop.

The work will begin during the week of March 11 and is expected to be completed by summer 2019.

The project, expected to cost approximately $2 million, is part of a suite of upgrades for the Highway 14 corridor. In January 2018, the Province announced a series of improvements to make the highway safer and more efficient for drivers, transit users, cyclists and pedestrians.

Corridor improvements include:

• three new bus pullouts on both sides of Highway 14 – completed
• new safety signs at three locations – completed
• new rest area at Sombrio Beach – completed
• new highway line painting – completed
• slow-moving vehicle pullout east of Muir Creek – completed
• new two-lane bridge on Gillespie Road – completed
• Sooke River Road intersection upgrades – scheduled for completion in summer 2019  

This work aligns with the ongoing South Island Transportation Strategy. Launched earlier this year by the ministry, the strategy is designed to take a complete, comprehensive and co-ordinated approach towards improving traffic flow and congestion issues on southern Vancouver Island.