It鈥檚 welcome news that the province is moving ahead with plans for an overpass at McKenzie Avenue and the Trans-sa国际传媒 Highway. Anyone who experiences the Colwood Crawl 鈥� and that would include thousands of daily commuters 鈥� would love to see an interchange replace the traffic lights at the intersection that Transportation Minister Todd Stone says is 鈥渢he No. 1 bottleneck in British Columbia, outside of the George Massey Tunnel.鈥�
Stone announced in the legislature last week that engineering and technical work is underway to identify possible options for the interchange.
The transportation minister said last October that the McKenzie interchange is high on the list of projects for consideration in the province鈥檚 10-year transportation plan. His announcement last week emphasized that it is a priority.
鈥淲e are moving, I believe, at a fairly rapid pace with respect to this particular project,鈥� he said.
The McKenzie interchange would be much simpler than the McTavish interchange, which was a complex solution to a complex problem. Whatever design is decided for McKenzie will be an improvement. The main consideration will be the cost 鈥� up to $100 million.
But it cannot be done in isolation 鈥� building a new interchange without regard to connecting thoroughfares would only move the congestion elsewhere. The three- and four-light delays at McKenzie could simply move to the next set of traffic lights.
Stone said he has met with Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell about the interchange, and will consult closely with the district and other partners when the province has something to present.
While the interchange lies within Saanich鈥檚 boundaries, Saanich isn鈥檛 the sole owner of the problem. As Stone said, people from as far north as Courtenay see the McKenzie interchange as a top priority for the Island. There鈥檚 little gain in trying to solve traffic problems one municipality at a time, which underscores the need for a regional transportation commission.
Improved public transit, too, must be considered. Simply building bigger and better roads will invite more people to take their cars, rather than the bus. We are not yet ready for light-rail transit, but we should be thinking about it.
Improving traffic flow in the region should be an ongoing effort. The McKenzie interchange is a good place to start.
