Wednesday, July 17, 2024 – I am pleased to announce that we have successfully recruited new staff, and now have a full complement within our engineering services team, which is keenly focused on addressing our transportation infrastructure.
Our resources are dedicated to developing short, medium, and long-term solutions for our transportation needs. Our team is facing these challenges head-on and is committed to realizing effective solutions.
Current Initiatives (not exhaustive):
- Charters Road Project: We are committed to keeping this project on schedule, if not ahead of schedule, as a short-term solution to our transportation challenges.
- Throup Road Connector and Phillips Road Corridor: We are finalizing the design of these projects to update costs should Council decide to proceed with a referendum on borrowing funds.
- Highway 14 Improvements: Our engineering staff has initiated dialogue with provincial staff to explore a dedicated westbound transit and right-turn lane along the corridor from the Sooke River Bridge to Church Road.
- Contracted Engineer Engagement: To further support our efforts, we are engaging a contracted engineer to focus on alternative solutions not identified in the Transportation Master Plan. We are also having them help quantify the return on investments (how much time savings will we realize by implementing “x” solution at what cost) so that we prioritize actions appropriately.
- Budget 2025 Conversations: We are gathering data to better support Council advocacy within this year’s budget survey, including resident perspectives on traffic solutions and barriers to transit ridership.
I have also met with the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce and a community-based transportation committee to discuss our ongoing efforts and exchange ideas and information.
Advocacy and Collaboration:
Council is actively advocating to numerous provincial ministers on several initiatives. This includes memorandums of understanding for bridge expansion and alternative routes, as well as rapid bus service from Sooke to core destinations for commuters. Council is also requesting modifications to access points on school sites to assist with travel within our community and has met with MLA Parmar to share resident and business concerns, seeking support in any capacity available.
Pedestrian Projects:
- Little River Crossing: A major pedestrian project is currently underway.
- Sidewalk Frontage Improvements: Through development referrals, staff are seeking improvements in alignment with the Transportation Master Plan cross sections and working on translating these into a bylaw with updates to our Subdivision Standards Bylaw.
- Pedestrian Safety Improvements: We are incorporating significant pedestrian safety improvements into capital road projects, and are making crosswalk improvements in the coming months at Townsend Road on the Stickleback Urban Trail and Phillips Road at Sunriver Way.
These efforts are in addition to regular operations for our engineering services area, including development referrals, seasonal maintenance like short-line painting underway currently, and responding to calls for service beyond roads, such as drainage, signage, parking, and more.
Recent Milestones:
We have achieved several considerable milestones, including multiple works on Otter Point Road, Manzer Road improvements, and Phase One and Two of Church Road, along with the recently completed Church-Throup Roundabout. It is remarkable to reflect that all of this has been accomplished within the last few years while keeping Sooke’s residential taxes among the lowest rates of comparable populations in the province.
To our team, you are remarkable. We have a small force, and they are immensely dedicated.
To the community, I know this period is challenging, and asking for patience is a lot. Please know that we are exhausting all avenues to improve our local roads and related service delivery, but it will take time to navigate.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Sincerely,
Raechel Gray
Chief Administrative Officer
District of Sooke