Douglas Street traffic changes accommodate new bus lanes

Changes are being made to Douglas Street to accommodate the new bus lanes.

Drivers heading south on the TransCanada Highway/Douglas Street will no longer be able to make a left turn onto Carey Road as of Sunday.

The closure will make way for the new northbound bus lane and improve traffic flow, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Work on the bus lanes between Tolmie Avenue and the Burnside Bridge is underway.

The lanes are expected to open this fall at a cost of $14.2 million.

When the lanes are complete, Carey Road will be accessible only to northbound traffic.

The Saanich Road intersection near Uptown shopping centre will be upgraded for safety.

There will be two turning lanes with signals for southbound traffic along Douglas Street.

The bus lanes are expected to reduce delays for buses along the Douglas corridor, one of the busiest commuter routes in Victoria.

The ministry hopes more people will take public transit if the buses can bypass other traffic.

According to ministry figures, the street supports as many as 1,700 vehicles an hour during peak travel times.

B.C. Transit buses move 40 per cent of the people taking this route during peak hours, while making up only three per cent of the traffic, the ministry said.