Paving work is wrapping up on phase one of upgrades to Metral Dr. as crews shift focus to a challenging phase two around north Nanaimo's commercial district. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

ROADWAY CHANGES

Phase one upgrades on Nanaimo’s Metral Dr. near completion ahead of tricky phase two

Aug 19, 2021 | 5:30 AM

NANAIMO — A major upgrade to a key corridor through the city is nearing the halfway point.

A complete streets makeover of Metral Dr. from Mostar Rd. to Turner Rd. is almost done with crews expected to be wrapped on site within the next couple of weeks after final paving, line painting and landscaping.

Phil Stewart, City manager of engineering projects, said attention is quickly turning to phase two of the upgrade, involving a significantly more challenging stretch from Turner Rd. to Aulds Rd. which includes a major commercial area.

“The businesses are really important to keep traffic flowing through there, we’re going to be working closely with our contractor when we are working in and around that heavily commercial area, Enterprise Way to Aulds Rd.”

The Metral Drive Complete Street project is geared towards active transportation, providing dedicated spaces for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.

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Bike lanes included in the upgrades will join with existing bike ways along the E&N Trail and connect north Nanaimo to a growing network through the rest of the city.

Dedicated spaces for bike lanes and pedestrians are positioned away from two lanes of vehicle traffic. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Phase one of the project, primarily through residential areas, involved significant upgrades to underground water and sewer infrastructure.

Stewart said more modern utilities to the north end of Metral Dr. require less work underground due to construction in the last 20 years around the Superstore and the strip mall featuring Cobs Bread and Planet Fitness.

“We won’t see a prolonged construction for that section like we did with phase one where it was under construction for quite some time so we’re hoping to mitigate it like that and chunk it in phases so we can make sure businesses have access and people can get where they need to go.”

Underground infrastructure work is expected to take place through the remainder of the summer and into fall 2021, with surface-level work beginning in the winter ahead of a spring 2022 completion.

Phase one came in “quite a bit” under budget, according to Stewart, however phase two is projected to be right on target as the City used phase one as a template for the second round of financial decisions.

The City applied for two active transportation grants from senior levels of government in July, which can be applied to either phase two on Metral Dr., or an upcoming project on Albert St.

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alex.rawnsley@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley