What was to be a simple flyover eliminating a dangerous left-hand turn across the Patricia Bay Highway onto Keating Cross Road has spiked in price by 73 per cent in 2½ years.
First announced in the fall of 2019, the flyover, which the provincial Transportation Ministry estimated would cost about $44.3 million, is now expected to cost $76.8 million.
On Friday, the province announced it would kick in $57.6 million for the project, with $16.7 million coming from the federal government and Central Saanich contributing $2.5 million.
The funding commitments from the municipality and federal government have not changed since 2019.
The province did not explain why the budget had increased by more than $30 million.
Central Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor said the scope of the project has not changed since it was announced in the fall of 2019. “As I understand it currently that is the increase in cost rather than scope,” he said. “Our portion as far as I know is still $2.5 million.”
In an earlier interview, Windsor said he expected project delays, which come with increased costs, due to flooding that destroyed large chunks of the province’s key transportation corridors last year.
The cost of the relatively straightforward Keating flyover now dwarfs the $24 million spent on the more ornate McTavish interchange, which opened with a pair of two-lane roundabouts and an overpass in 2011 after two years of work. The larger and busier McKenzie interchange, meanwhile, took four years and was completed in 2020 for $96 million.
The Highway 17 and Keating Cross Road flyover project will replace the northbound left turn onto Keating Cross Road with a separated flyover overpass, designed to improve access for businesses and neighbourhoods, and make the highway safer.
The project will also realign the southbound on-ramp to Victoria, widen Keating Cross Road and add sidewalks.
The intersection of Highway 17 and Keating Cross Road was the site of 47 crashes between 2016 and the start of 2021, according to ICBC statistics. There were six crashes there in 2020, the last year for which numbers are available.
“This project will help make Highway 17 safer for everyone who uses it and will help decrease congestion and improve connectivity for residents and local businesses,” said Transportation Minister Rob Fleming in a statement.
Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, called the investment critical and long-awaited, noting work began earlier this year on bus queue-jump lanes at Mt. Newton Cross Road. “Now with this announcement we have two major transportation projects happening in our riding. While there is certainly still work to be done, this is a great step forward in improving safety and active transportation on the Saanich Peninsula.”
The ministry said the final design is nearing completion and the project tender is expected to be posted this fall. Construction is expected to be complete by spring 2025.
When it was first announced in 2019, construction was expected to be finished in 2023.
