The sa国际传媒 government鈥檚 shiny new 10-year transportation plan consists mostly of baubles that have been dangled in front of us before, but at least the McKenzie Avenue interchange got a mention. Let鈥檚 hope that turns into something more concrete than vague promises.
This week, Transportation Minister Todd Stone unveiled the province鈥檚 10-year transportation plan, which aims to rehabilitate roadways and bridges and improve efficiency of ports and airports throughout sa国际传媒
The province aims to spend up to $2.5 billion over the next three years, a sum that looks impressive at first glance, but not when you consider that big-ticket projects on the Lower Mainland consume money in chunks measured in the hundreds of millions.
The province has already spent $18 million on preliminary work for a bridge to replace the George Massey Tunnel and will spend another $53 million in the next two years. And that鈥檚 before final approval from the cabinet to build the multibillion-dollar bridge. Imagine trying to spread $2.5 billion in transportation funding over a large province that鈥檚 all mountains, rivers, lakes and convoluted coastlines.
Islanders have long complained that when it comes to transportation projects, the Lower Mainland gets all the money while those of us on this side of the water largely get ignored, except for a little tweaking to the Malahat.
Not this time, though. Stone says the 10-year plan includes 鈥減riority actions for Vancouver Island to make targeted safety improvements, to improve access between provincial highways and to reduce congestion.鈥� The trouble with a long list of priorities is that 鈥減riority鈥� becomes almost meaningless. It鈥檚 a little like saying your kid is in the top 90 per cent of her class.
Still, after one provincial budget after another has ignored the McKenzie Avenue interchange since it was shelved by the NDP government in the 1990s, it鈥檚 encouraging that it is at least now on the list.
鈥淭he ministry is committing to deliver key upgrades to reduce congestion and improve commuter mobility along Highway 1 between Langford and Victoria,鈥� says a Transportation Ministry news release. 鈥淒uring consultations for sa国际传媒 on the Move, the government heard that the 鈥楥olwood Crawl鈥� is a major concern for commuters. Following these consultations, the ministry has committed to assess the potential for a future interchange on Highway 1 at McKenzie Avenue.鈥�
鈥淐ommitment鈥� is another concept that is readily diluted. Here is the government鈥檚 commitment to the interchange: 鈥淧reliminary engineering work is underway to look into the feasibility of building a future interchange to help traffic flow more efficiently. The sa国际传媒 government will be looking to partner with the federal government and local governments to help ease congestion and improve safety along this key corridor.鈥�
Next year? Hardly likely. Next decade? Maybe.
The provincial government has the unenviable task of trying to meet the transportation needs of the whole province. Each region is convinced its needs should be at the top of the list, that its projects are the most urgent. There isn鈥檛 money enough to grant all those wishes.
But we鈥檙e feeling a little left out. The province has spent a few million here, a few million there on Island transportation projects, but there hasn鈥檛 been much in the way of serious funding since the $1.3-billion Vancouver Island Highway Project was finished nearly 15 years ago.
For the price of a study for a bridge across the Fraser River, the province could build a McKenzie Avenue interchange that would ease congestion on the south Island. It doesn鈥檛 require much in the way of 鈥減reliminary engineering work 鈥� to look into the feasibility of building a future bridge.鈥� It just requires the decision to do it.
