On an average day, the province says 24,000 vehicles travel along the Malahat corridor.
More than five kilometers of Highway 1, from Shawnigan Lake Road to Aspen Road, is now open to four lanes of traffic as the Malahat Safety Improvement project has wrapped up.
After another summer of construction work, 65 per cent of the highway now has a median barrier.
Drivers are advised that there could be sporadic lane closures during the month of October, from Shawnigan Lake Road to Aspen Road, to make minor adjustments as necessary and for site cleanup.
With the latest construction project on the Malahat wrapped up the province is turning its attention to the next phase.
One of the areas of focus is the Goldstream park area.
Engineering work is scheduled to start early in 2019 and will explore building an additional 1 point 5 kilometers of median barriers north of the West Shore Parkway to just north of Finlayson Arm Road.
And, in the meantime, Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure says she’s directed staff to explore the viability of a second route around the Malahat in case of an emergency.
The ministry is analyzing the scope, location, and size of a potential emergency route and will be ready to share more information on the plans later in the fall.
To assist with the long-term vision and improvements for the Malahat, the ministry has issued a request for qualifications from consultants who can help explore future corridor widening, as well as safety, capacity, and intersection improvements.
