Residents of Victoria’s South Jubilee neighbourhood who have been clamouring for Leighton Road to be reopened to vehicles may soon get their wish.
The City of Victoria says it may be able to remove the barriers on Leighton Road between Duchess Road and Bank Street and open the road to vehicle traffic by the end of the month.
The road has been closed since the summer while the city replaced a sanitary sewer main on Fort Street.
During that work, the eastbound travel lane on Fort Street was closed and the city shut off Leighton to reduce shortcutting through the neighbourhood and provide a cycling detour.
The work took longer than expected, leaving some area residents frustrated.
City spokeswoman Colleen Mycroft said work crews ran into unexpected rock formations, soil conditions and pipe alignments that resulted in delays. “Extra care was needed to ensure that critical sewer and stormwater pipes were protected throughout the project,” she said.
In coming weeks, crews will finish paving Fort Street and installing temporary road lines, weather permitting, she said.
The city initially saw closing off Leighton as an opportunity to pilot a car-free zone with seating, improved walking paths and a two-way bike connection.
But as a result of negative feedback from the area and the desire to co-ordinate with future upgrades of Sundance-Bank Elementary School, the pilot project was postponed, Mycroft said.
