Work has started on a major upgrade to a section of Shelbourne Street.
The City of Victoria is looking to improve safety on the street and replace old storm drains and sanitary sewer connections. The work is taking place along a three-block section of the Shelbourne Street corridor between Coronation Avenue and Bay Street.
Upgrades include a new pedestrian crosswalk across Denman Street and an upgrade to the existing crosswalk at Pembroke Street. Both crosswalks will have pedestrian-controlled push buttons, yellow flashing lights and audible accessibility features for the crossing and push buttons.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Homemade pedestrian scramble crosswalk in Saanich removed by police
The three blocks of Shelbourne Street will be fully repaved, including sidewalk repairs, and 75 metres of an old clay sanitary sewer main will be replaced with modern PVC pipe. New service connections will be installed for homes as well.
PVC pipe will also replace 40 metres of an old clay storm main and new service connections and catch basins will be installed.
According to the City of Victoria, the work is being coordinated as one complete street project to shorten the overall construction timeline. The section of Shelbourne Street was closed on June 10 and the closure will last for up to three weeks to ensure public and worker safety, after which it will remain open for the rest of the project.
READ ALSO: Audit announced for Johnson Street Bridge replacement project
The City said the temporary closure has been coordinated with local residents to ensure access is maintained. BC Transit is detouring around Shelbourne Street using Fern, Fort and Richmond streets.
As part of Victoria’s COVID-19 response, the City is expediting capital projects to take advantage of lower than average traffic volumes on streets. The project is expected to take about four months. In 2020, the City will be taking on $80 million in capital projects.