Flyover takes traffic north on the highway to Keating Cross Road, eliminating left turns.
What was supposed to be a simple overpass eliminating a dangerous left turn across the Patricia Bay Highway to Keating Cross Road has risen 73 percent in two years.
Originally announced in the fall of 2019, the flyover, which the provincial transport ministry says will cost about $ 44.3 million, is now expected to cost $ 76.8 million.
On Friday, the province announced it would provide $ 57.6 million for the project, with $ 16.7 million coming from the federal government and Central Saanich contributing $ 2.5 million.
Commitments for funding from the municipality and the federal government have not changed since 2019.
The province did not explain why the budget has increased by more than $ 30 million.
Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor said the scope of the project has not changed since it was announced in the fall of 2019. “As I understand it now, this is an increase in costs, not scope,” he said. “Our share, as far as I know, is still $ 2.5 million.”
In an earlier interview, Windsor said he expected the project to be delayed, which comes with increased costs due to floods that destroyed large parts of the province’s key transport corridors last year.
The cost of Keating’s relatively simple overpass now exceeds $ 24 million spent on the more ornate McTavish junction, which opened with a pair of two-lane roundabouts and overpasses in 2011 after two years of operation. Meanwhile, the larger and busier McKenzie node took four years and was completed in 2020 for $ 96 million.
The 17 and Keating Cross Road overpass project will replace the northern left turn to Keating Cross Road with a separate overpass overpass designed to improve access for businesses and neighborhoods and make the highway safer.
The project will also redirect the south ramp to Victoria, widen Keating Cross Road and add sidewalks.
The intersection of Highway 17 and Keating Cross Road is the site of 47 crashes between 2016 and early 2021, according to ICBC statistics. There were six crashes there in 2020, the last year for which numbers are available.
“This project will help make Highway 17 safer for anyone who uses it and will help reduce congestion and improve connectivity for residents and local businesses,” Transport Minister Rob Fleming said in a statement.
Adam Olson, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, called the investment critical and long-awaited, noting that work began earlier this year on the Mt. Newton Cross Road. “Now with this announcement we have two major transport projects that are happening in our driving. While there is certainly work to be done, it is a major step forward in improving safety and active transport on the Saanic Peninsula.
The ministry said the final project is nearing completion and a tender for the project is expected to be published this fall. Construction is expected to be completed by spring 2025.
When it was first announced in 2019, construction was expected to be completed in 2023.
aduffy@timescolonist.com
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