By Dominic Abassi

$4.4M Island Hwy. repaving project to highlight busy road construction season

Jul 3, 2018 | 8:10 AM

NANAIMO — As the bulk of the millions of dollars worth of roadwork on the City’s to-do list winds down, one of the biggest projects for this road construction season is set to ramp up.

The province is expected to kick off a major $4.4 million asphalt resurfacing project on the Island Hwy. early this month. City of Nanaimo staff previously said the work would happen between Brechin Rd. and Norwell Dr., however a government sign advertising the project states the work will run all the way to Mary Ellen Dr. in the north end.

When reached for comment, the Ministry of Transportation declined to provide details.

The extensive repaving project follows several notable City initiatives impacting traffic on major thoroughfares.

Phil Stewart, the City’s manager of engineering projects, said there is currently about $18 million dollars worth of work underway or out for tender. He said while the volume of work undertaken this year is pretty typical, it’s focused more on major routes like Terminal Ave. and Northfield Rd., which is impacting drivers more than usual.

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Stewart said the biggest project of the year is the long-awaited Northfield/Boundary intersection upgrade. He said they are now past the mid-point of the work and should be moving off the highway in the area and ending traffic restrictions within the next few weeks.

A multi-year effort frequently reducing traffic to single-lane on Terminal Ave. from Stewart to St. George is wrapping up as well, Stewart said. Work in 2017 focused on underground infrastructure, while this summer saw resurfacing. Stewart said the paving work is done, meaning the majority of the traffic disruption is over with the exception of some line painting.

The City tried to focus on starting the work as early as possible this year to avoid tying up drivers during busy summer months. Stewart said despite concerns over angry reactions from drivers, the City was quite pleased with the feedback.

“There’s been a few complaints but not anymore than we would expect for projects like this. Generally people have been respectful and understanding. A lot of people have chosen alternate routes so we’ve seen traffic down through the construction areas quite a bit.”

Meanwhile, underground work on the highway between Comox and Commercial is expected to be complete by mid-July and a utility project within the Departure Bay neighbourhood should be finished by August.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi