People who take transit into Victoria will save more time on their commutes with a key segment of the new southbound Douglas Street bus lane opening next week.

The first segment of the project to be completed is the southbound priority bus lane between Tillicum Road and Boleskine Road. This segment will open to transit buses the week of Feb. 17, 2020, making this stretch of the commute faster for people riding the bus into town.

Bus stops along the southbound Tillicum to Boleskine section will also be active, with installation of new transit shelters coming as the project progresses.

Construction continues on the remaining sections of the project between the Burnside Bridge and Tillicum and from Boleskine to Tolmie Avenue, with overall project completion expected by the end of April 2020. Once completed, this new southbound priority bus lane will be approximately 2.3 kilometres in length.

The continuous northbound bus priority lane from Fisgard Street to the Highway 1-Burnside Road overpass saves passengers approximately 10 minutes in peak travel times. It is anticipated that southbound passengers will see similar time savings once the southbound priority bus lane has opened in its entirety.

The Douglas Street southbound bus lane project is funded under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan. The project totals $16 million, with the Province investing $11.1 million and the federal government investing $4.9 million.