Highway to Tofino, Ucluelet reducing daytime traffic delays

The Highway 4 Kennedy Hill project is pictured on June 8, 2022. (Province of B.C./Flickr)

Traffic delays on the only highway in and out of Tofino and Ucluelet, B.C., will be shorter during daytime hours as construction on the highway continues.

Road construction on Highway 4 at Kennedy Hill will switch from top-of-the hour closures to single-lane alternating traffic during daytime hours starting at the end of June.

Currently, traffic queues are only released at the top of the hour between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. on weekdays, with nighttime closures between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Starting June 30 until Sept. 5, however, single-lane alternating traffic will be used seven days a week between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Top-of-the hour closures will be scheduled for 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., and nighttime closures will take place between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., with a release for traffic queues at 2 a.m.

"Removing top-of-the-hour closures during the day means delays for drivers will be limited to 30 minutes or less," said the province in a release Friday.

"This will also simplify travel planning for vacationers and tour operators, and make the route more reliable for emergency services and the movement of goods."

The province estimates that the Kennedy Hill project will be "substantially complete" by the end of this summer, with "finishing touches" continuing into the fall.

The project was originally scheduled to complete by summer 2020, but that timeline was pushed back last year to summer 2022, when the budget for the project also increased from $38.1 million to $53.96 million.