A key traffic-signaled intersection on Nanaimo's Bowen Rd. is now in operation. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

New addition

Significant central Nanaimo signaled intersection opens

Jan 22, 2025 | 3:37 PM

NANAIMO — A project much larger and more expensive than the City of Nanaimo originally envisioned is starting to come to fruition.

The multi-faceted Midtown Gateway initiative hit a significant milestone on Wednesday, Jan. 22 when the traffic signal became operational at the new Bowen Rd./Boxwood Rd./Beban Parkway intersection at about 12 p.m.

Viewed as an important new feature in conjunction with considerable surrounding road network additions, the City’s transportation manager Jamie Rose said they’ve long envisioned addressing the nearby heavily used Northfield Rd./Bowen Rd. intersection.

“It allows us to create a more efficient network which will give us more capacity to move people through the network of intersections with less delay,” Rose told NanaimoNewsNOW at a media event marking the lighted intersection coming online.

While many people will undoubtedly loathe another traffic signal on congested Bowen Rd., Rose said the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

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He said the back-to-back lights on Bowen Rd. are synchronized.

“So that we keep that progression, so drivers between the Country Club area and downtown experience as few delays as possible.”

The Bowen/Northfield intersection is Nanaimo’s busiest City-controlled intersection with the City reporting more than 45,000 vehicles passing through daily.

Rose said traffic monitoring cameras will keep tabs on movements of all area road users to assist with future changes as required.

New sidewalks and active mobility amenities are complementary features of the Midtown Gateway project. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

It was an old dumping ground

A City of Nanaimo land acquisition in 2010 west of the new Beban Rd. intersection morphed into a much more than a traffic-focused project as first intended.

The City’s general manager of engineering and public works Bill Sims said the land straddling newly extended Boxwood Rd. was purchased for $2.2 million.

The vacant lot required significant attention preventing private sector investment for many years as the area’s soil was badly compromised, he noted.

“It was an old dumping ground for construction material, mine waste and dynamite actually that was used in mining,” Sims said at the event.

An old swamp has since been restored into a storm water detention pond surrounded by walking trails.

Across the road behind Christ Community Church is a development-ready privately owned lot primed for a multi-family residential project, Sims noted.

“Those plans are advancing now.”

A nearby roundabout at newly created Powder Works Rd. provides quicker access to and from the Parkway, while it also links to the new Bowen Rd intersection.

Starting that the City spent about $30 million on the entire Midtown Gateway project, Sims said unlocking the property’s potential will provide many benefits for years to come.

“We’ve got a gateway to the community from the Parkway, we’ve reclaimed this industrial brownfield legacy site,” Sims said.

Completing the Midtown Gateway vision is expected to happen by late this year, Sims said.

More details on the project can be found here.

Members of Nanaimo City Council officially open the new Bowen/Boxwood/Beban Parkway intersection. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

A new lane links Beban Plaza to Beban Park. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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