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Downtown travel delays to continue during Victoria upgrades

Water main work is expected to continue until this summer
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The water main project on Blanshard Street will extend from Caledonia Avenue to Fort Street. (Brendan Mayer/News Staff)

The City of Victoria says more travel delays are expected as crews work on water main upgrades on Blanshard Street.

The project will extend from Caledonia Avenue to Fort Street, part of a decade-long $53.8-million renewal of underground infrastructure that’s in its second year.

Staff say they are trying to minimize traffic impacts where possible.

The work is expected to continue until this summer.

“Resilient cities have resilient underground systems,” said Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto. “Renewing and upgrading our underground infrastructure is critical to protect our communities and ensure our core water, sewer and stormwater services can be maintained in the event of an earthquake or a climate change event.”

The project is receiving funding from the federal government’s disaster mitigation and adaptation fund.

“Reliable water and wastewater treatment systems protect communities and the environment,” said Dominic LeBlanc, minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. “We will continue to work collaboratively with local governments to build resilient communities, in British Columbia and across Canada.”

The city is completing other upgrades, including new road paving, replacement of old traffic signal equipment and new road markings during the water main project.

The pathway will also be closed from Tyee Road to Johnson Street Bridge while concrete work is completed on the curb and sidewalk.

The city says the project could take up to two weeks.

READ MORE: Victoria starting construction on bikes lanes from James Bay to downtown


 

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Brendan Mayer

About the Author: Brendan Mayer

I spent my upbringing in Saskatoon, and in 2021, I made the move to Vancouver Island.
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