EDITORIALS Sooke Road is cut too often
Spare a thought for the commuters of Sooke. The road to Victoria is a long, slow and winding one, with the aggravation of the Colwood Crawl as inevitable as a law of nature. And that’s on a good day.
On a bad day, when cars collide on Sooke Road, the community by the sea can suddenly be a long way from anywhere. Residents can be stuck for hours if they are on a stretch where there is no detour. But hope of relief is glimmering, if only faintly. A crash on the afternoon of Jan. 31 that injured a child and two adults brought the issue into focus again. In this case, a car and a logging truck collided, closing the road for about six hours during rush hour.
When people are hurt, it is callous to talk about the inconvenience to motorists who are sitting safely in their vehicles. Nevertheless, when the accident has been cleared away, the state of the road is an issue that won’t go away.
In this case, drivers could detour by Happy Valley Road, but it still meant long delays. In other areas, there is no way around.
“Sooke Road is a challenging highway and our municipality is very dependent on it,” Sooke Mayor Maja Tait said. “When there’s an accident, that closes the road in some areas. That’s when our residents are completely stuck because there’s no options to get home.”
A new road to provide alternative access is high on her list of priorities, but it has been on such lists for decades.
With the province finally putting money into improvements on the Malahat and at the McKenzie interchange, Tait is concerned that Sooke Road might be pushed out of sight.
Last year, the Ministry of Transportation began a corridor study to “review the current condition and performance of Highway 14 between Langford and Sooke, including reviewing crash statistics and information such as crash investigation results and traffic volumes.”
The ministry said $7 million has been spent in the past five years to improve Highway 14, including resurfacing, adding roundabouts, widening shoulders and installing better line markers. A new digital sign is planned near the future connection to the West Shore Parkway extension, which would provide information regarding delays, road closures and road conditions.
A sign could tell drivers about crashes, but it wouldn’t clear the road or open detours where there are none.
Langford Mayor Stew Young, who said the road is “like a mini Malahat,” said he talked to Transportation Minister Todd Stone about the issue and Stone was receptive.
“The ministry looks forward to seeing the results of the study and continuing to engage with community leaders in Sooke regarding possible future improvements to Highway 14,” the ministry said in a statement. “These discussions will be an opportunity for the ministry to prioritize projects which will determine future funding allocations.”
Those words are a long way from promises, but at least the door didn’t slam shut.
Building a new road classifies as a big-ticket item. The McKenzie interchange is already pegged at $85 million. How soon is the province going to be willing to shell out for another major project in this area?
Frustrated Sooke commuters can only hope that the results of the study will be favourable and the government will be in a generous mood.