A new roundabout that’s more than 20 years in the making will be built at the intersection of Beacon Avenue and Galaran Road in Sidney.
The $4.9-million roundabout, now in the design process, is expected to be completed by the fall of 2023. The cost will be split between the Greater Victoria Airport Authority, Sidney and North Saanich, with the airport and Sidney each paying 40 per cent and North Saanich kicking in 20 per cent.
Stirling Avenue, which runs around the eastern border of the airport lands alongside the Pat Bay Highway, will be re-aligned to connect to the roundabout.
Geoff Dickson, chief executive of the airport authority, which has taken the lead in advancing the roundabout, said they have been looking at the project for years to address traffic concerns in the area. When a $65-million Amazon distribution centre was announced for airport lands, it became an imperative, he said.
“We all have a vested interest in seeing the better and safer flow of vehicles on those roads,” he said.
The 115,000-square-foot Amazon distribution centre, currently under construction, is just the latest in a series of large builds that draw traffic to the area.
Thrifty Foods established its 250,000-square-foot distribution centre on Mills Road, Titan Boats has a manufacturing facility along Beacon Avenue and the federal government invested in an enhanced spill-response centre in the area.
Sidney Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith said the need for a roundabout at that intersection was identified nearly 20 years ago when developers proposed the first of two commercial projects that were eventually withdrawn. Both developments would have included a roundabout.
“Obviously traffic has picked up, though it’s always been fairly busy,” he said.
McNeil-Smith said a transportation study of the corridor identified the need for increased public safety measures. “It’s not only for vehicle users, but for pedestrians and cycle safety,” he said.
Asked if there are longer-term plans to see the Beacon Avenue and Pat Bay intersection turned into a cloverleaf to improve traffic flow, McNeil-Smith said some designs were drawn up years ago by the province.
“There are future designs for all of the intersections coming up the Pat Bay Highway and there was a cost-benefit analysis done … but we’ve not heard from the provincial government and not had discussions in terms of implementation,” he said, noting it took decades for the McKenzie Interchange to come to fruition. “There are plans, but there is no timing assigned to it at this stage.”
