Construction is set to begin on southbound bus priority lanes on Douglas Street from Tolmie Avenue to Hillside Avenue, B.C. Transit announced Tuesday.
Expected to be completed by the fall, the project will see priority bus lanes running north and south all the way from downtown Victoria to Tolmie. The cost is projected at $4.3 million and completion is expected by the fall.
The project is being jointly funded by the provincial government and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission.
Bus priority lanes are designed to shorten bus travel times by giving them a traffic lane to themselves. Cars are forbidden in bus priority lanes unless they are making a right turn within one block. The fine for violations is $109.
Once completed, the bus-priority lanes will be in effect 24 hours a day in both directions. They currently operate weekdays 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. southbound and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. northbound.
Douglas Street is travelled by 1,700 vehicles per hour during peak travel times.
Susan Brice, chairwoman of the transit commission, called the Douglas Street corridor a vital link in transit services.
