Stuck in terrible Malahat traffic last weekend? It appears the Transportation Ministry heard your complaints… and numerous others.
Highway construction will no longer stop traffic on Fridays, according to Janelle Erwin, the Transportation Ministry’s deputy director for the South Island.
Drivers were held for up to 2.5 hours, as improvements continued on the Trans-Canada Highway between Shawnigan Lake Road and Aspen Road. Quick-thinking commuters also attempted using the Brentwood-Mill Bay ferry to bypass the queues, but that too faced waiting times.
“Last Friday, we understand it was frustrating for drivers to wait up to two hours in traffic. Those waits were above and beyond what we expected,” said Erwin.
“The contractor was allowed to do up to five-minute stoppages until noon. This created some big queues and delays,” she said. “With no more stoppages on Fridays, we hope to eliminate more queues.”
There are no further measures planned to alleviate the congestion, but the situation is being monitored.
The $18.5-million project will expand five kilometres of the highway to four lanes and add safety improvements such as median barriers. Construction is scheduled to continue into the summer of 2018.
Whenever possible, drivers should consider travelling outside of peak traffic hours and use the “zipper” method of merging, alternating cars from parallel lanes, to reduce long lines.
Tip:
Looking for more insider info on highway conditions? A Facebook group called Shawnigan Cobble Hill Malahat Road Conditions has more than 2,600 members posting messages about highway traffic in the region.
