The question of what’s next for Highway 14 will be under the microscope when representatives from the Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry attend Sooke’s April 8 council meeting.
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait said the purpose of the meeting is to discuss where improvements to Highway 14 are headed.
“We know there’s been a lot of work done by ministry staff, and it would be beneficial for council and the public to hear what the plans are for the future.” she said. “We field queries and complaints about Highway 14 almost every day, even though it’s not under our jurisdiction but under the Ministry of Transporation and Infrastructure (MOTI).”
The meeting should provide a clearer indication of what future plans are for Highway 14, especially since the province mandates more housing for the region, Tait added.
Coun. Jeff Bateman said he’s looking forward to learning about MOTI’s next phase of road improvements now that its five-year Highway 14 Corridor Improvement project is complete, and what the ministry’s short, medium and longer-term plans are to deal with congestion and public safety.
“As the draft Official Community Plan states, job one for the district and MOTI is to review and renew its formal agreements,” he noted. “The ministry has long promised systematic, ongoing improvements to the highway and delivered many since 2017. For its part, the district is committed to building out the bypass route. We must collaborate in getting this costly work done and relieve the slow-moving gridlock that’s become our new afternoon normal.”
Langford-Juan de Fuca MLA Ravi Parmar said he hopes the meeting provides an acknowledgement from the district on the work they need to do on interior roads such as the Throup Road extension.
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