Substantial work to regrade Hwy. 4 at Kennedy Hill, east of Tofino and Ucluelet, has been ongoing for years but is nearing completion. (BC Government)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

TRAVEL WINDOWS

Travel changes for Hwy. 4 corridor between Alberni and Tofino-Ucluelet

Jun 10, 2022 | 3:51 PM

NANAIMO — A seemingly endless project to extensively upgrade Hwy. 4 road surfacing at Kennedy Hill is taking another step toward completion.

Beginning June 30 and running through Sept. 5, crews will open up single lane alternating traffic seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Top of the hour closures will resume until 11 p.m. when the road will shut entirely until the next morning, aside from a release of traffic at 2 a.m.

Previously, there had been regular closures throughout the day to allow construction crews a window to complete more complicated work.

The high profile project features re-paving and re-grading a roughly 1.5 kilometre stretch of Hwy. 4 just east of the Tofino-Ucluelet turnoff.

Upgrading the windy, hilly portion of highway has been filled with challenges.

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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.

Costs ballooned with the current price tag projected to be just under $54 million, up from the original $38.1 million projection.

The province said the project is expected to be mainly complete during summer 2022 with final work completed in the fall.

Crews have sections of paved road and guard rails installed, as of these photos from April. (BC Government)

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