Crews blasted rock away as part of upgrades to Hwy. 4 between Port Alberni and Tofino/Ucluelet in April of 2021. (BC Government)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

end in sight

Hwy. 4 Kennedy Hill upgrades near finish line with no further daytime closures planned

Mar 11, 2022 | 4:23 PM

NANAIMO — Motorists who travel one of the main mid-Island arteries will now face fewer construction delays.

The ministry of transportation and infrastructure have announced, effective Friday, March 11, no further extended daytime closures are expected in order to complete long-underway upgrades to Hwy. 4 at Kennedy Hill, east of Tofino and Ucluelet.

Traffic however will still be delayed, released hourly on weekdays between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. in order to provide windows for crews to work without other vehicles present. Single lane alternating traffic will occur at the site on weekends between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. with hourly openings until 11 p.m.

Nightly closures will remain between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. with any accumulated traffic able to pass through at 2 a.m.

The project is expected to be mostly complete by the summer of 2022, with finishing touches planned for the fall.

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The project was originally set for completion in mid-2020, however, a series of setbacks, including complications linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, delayed work.

On Jan. 22, 2020, blasting activities sent a large amount of rock onto the road, unexpectedly severing Tofino and Ucluelet’s lifeline to Vancouver Island.

A temporary bridge was installed to return access to the communities a few days later, however shortages of gas and fresh food stressed area residents.

The budget for the project was originally set at $38.1 million but was raised to $53.96 million in October 2021.

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation said the amount is still the budget estimate for the completion of this project.

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Hwy. 4 Kennedy Hill upgrades near finish line with no further daytime closures planned

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