VICTORIA -- The B.C. government is looking for public input on a proposed "flyover" overpass at the intersection of the Pat Bay Highway and Keating Cross Road in Central Saanich.
Currently, drivers who are heading northbound on the highway who want to turn westbound onto Keating Cross Road have to cross several lanes of oncoming highway traffic.
"Every hour, hundreds of drivers need to turn left across heavy traffic on Highway 17 to get onto Keating Cross Road, causing safety issues and traffic bottlenecks," said the B.C. government in an update Wednesday.
To eliminate the dangerous turn, the province plans to install a "flyover" overpass in the area, and create a new southbound on-ramp onto the highway from Keating Cross Road.
The province also plans to build a new sidewalk on Keating Cross Road to improve safety for pedestrians.
The B.C. government is now collecting feedback on the proposed project until March 24. Comments can be submitted to the province online here.
Feedback from community members and other stakeholders will then be considered when the province completes a business case for the project.
In 2019, the province estimated the overpass would cost $44 million, split between all three levels of government. The federal government has promised $16 million for the project while the District of Central Saanich has committed $2.5 million.
The province says its contributions will be announced after a business case review has been completed.
In the meantime, drivers may see workers in the area as preliminary work continues on the project. Initial engineering work on the overpass began along the highway this past summer.
