Friday, May 31, 2024 – We understand that the Charters Road closure and the increase in congestion on Highway 14 are challenging. There is no denying that delays can be frustrating and have a significant impact on daily life.
This construction is necessary to respond to structural repairs and reopen the road to two lanes. We have also secured grant funding for the scope of work to include active transportation infrastructure and add highly requested sidewalks, along with bike lanes, to the area.
To keep the community informed, we are committed to providing biweekly updates and photos from the project site, highlighting the work completed and the progress made.
Below, we have addressed some questions to provide greater clarity on the current situation. Additional questions and answers will be provided in our regular updates. In the meantime, residents can share comments with the District directly by email to info@sooke.ca.
Thank you to many residents to have written to us. Your voices help enhance the advocacy work underway already. We are listening, and value your concerns and appreciate you sharing your experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers):
Q: Why is the work not occurring when school is out?
- A: Due to environmental and cultural sensitivities in the area, there are limitations on when and how construction can take place. These constraints prevent us from scheduling the work exclusively during school holidays.
Q: Tell me more about “Environmental and Cultural sensitivities.”
- A: Environmental sensitives reflect the reality that construction involves waterways or areas near aquatic ecosystems, fisheries windows are designated periods during which certain activities are restricted or regulated to minimize impact on fish populations and their habitats. Fisheries windows are typically timed to align with critical periods in the lifecycle of fish species, such as spawning or migration seasons. These periods are carefully determined based on scientific research and provincial regulations to ensure the protection of fish populations and their habitats. This means that construction can only occur during an established period. In this case, the fisheries window commences June 15, so preparatory works must be completed to ensure works that can only occur during the fisheries window can be completed. Missing this specific period would delay construction considerably and cause further impact on the community. For greater context about the cultural sensitivities, as with any project in the District of Sooke, we respect related procedures and processes.
Q: Why is Charters Road construction occurring before the construction of the Throup Connector?
- A: The District is currently in the design phase for the Throup Connector and this project is identified for 2027 of our five-year financial plan. Cost is a significant challenge of this project given the topography of the site and this time is needed to secure sufficient funding. Funding sources will include a combination of sources, such as:
- Grants
- Casino Reserve Funds
- Road Development Cost Charges
- Community Building Fund
- Borrowing
- Property Taxation
We’ll seek further feedback on funding of this project in the 2025 budget survey, which will be available in the coming weeks. All residents are encouraged to participate.
Q: Why can’t work take place in the evening?
- A: During this phase of construction there will not be a continuous road. The road structure will be completely removed to allow for the culvert removal and replacement, and rebuilding of the road. As the project progresses, should there be an opportunity to accommodate single-lane alternating traffic, we will do so.
Q: Why can’t work take place 24/7 to shorten the duration of the closure?
- A: Human resources as well as financial (cost implications) are key limitations. Safety concerns, while most can be mitigated, also pose limitations.
We are committed to working with the project contractor to minimize greater impacts as much as possible and will continue to keep you informed through our biweekly updates.
Keep in mind that our transportation system involves multiple stakeholders. Residents may wish to provide feedback on transit service, scheduling and capacity, and current and future initiatives for Highway14 to the agencies responsible directly:
- BC Transit: 250-385-2551
- Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure: Saanich.Ops@gov.bc.ca
Related:
Updated, 2:42 PM on June 3, 2024: Further details about environmental and cultural sensitivities added.