Gorge Road between Tillicum and Admirals roads will effectively close to traffic after the long weekend until September to allow for sewer line replacements.
The work is part of a Capital Regional District project to upgrade a sewage pump station at Austin Avenue and Gorge. As a part of the project, sewer lines are being rerouted and upgraded.
The first part of the project is installing new sewage lines along Gorge Road from Tillicum to Admirals. The new lines won’t be operational until the pump house is built, likely next spring.
The work along Gorge Road will begin after the Canada Day weekend, starting with surveying before excavation work.
The road will be open to local traffic and closed to all other traffic at different points until Sept. 30, depending on where work is ongoing at any particular time.
Most traffic will be required to detour around the area, as traffic is already due to the Craigflower Bridge closure. CRD chose to do the work to coincide with the bridge project.
“We’re just trying to tie in with the low-traffic volumes we have (on Gorge Road) because of the bridge closure,” said Dwayne Halldorson, Saanich manager of underground services. “We’re sending them out to the highway and rather than through the neighbourhood, which is causing some neighbourhood concerns.”
B.C. Transit route No. 11 UVic/Tillicum Mall will be detoured from July 1 to Sept. 30. The No. 11 will run along Tillicum Road to the mall, as opposed to its regular route on Gorge Road to Admirals, Cowper Road and Obed Road. Transit will run a shuttle that loops Cowper, Obed, Tillicum, the Trans-Canada Highway to Admirals Road every 20 minutes between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.
See bctransit.com for a map of the detours and service changes.
reporter@vicnews.com