Government officials will work with residents expressing frustration with the construction of sidewalks, bus pullouts and a crosswalk on Highway 14 between Otter Point Road and Atherley Close.
Mary and John Wilson said the sidewalk work eliminates access from the back of their property on Horne Road onto Highway 14.
“It was a hell of a shock because my husband uses a utility trailer for work to drive in and out of that spot,” Mary Wilson told the Sooke News Mirror.
“In the 16 years we’ve been living here, we’ve never had a problem. Now, they say it’s not legal access. If it’s not permitted entry, why has it been there for 25 years?
Wilson said there were no discussions with officials on the road work near Ed Macgregor Park.
This property is the only one in the unique situation of having gained unpermitted secondary access to Highway 14. Other residents have been impacted but not in the same way, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said.
The project’s key objective is to increase safety along Highway 14 and includes reviewing and managing highway access points, the spokesperson said.
“This was a unique situation as the property did not have permitted access and gained access over the statutory right of way. So based on legal survey and in the field walk-throughs, it was not immediately clear that this property gained access to Highway 14. As such, no consideration was given for access by the ministry during design.”
There are other impacted residents and businesses. However, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure entered into temporary licences to construct with property owners and provided fair compensation.
The province announced work on the $1.2-million project in July. The project is expected to be completed this fall.
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editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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