VICTORIA -- The construction of a huge sightseeing spiral along the Malahat highway could cause minor traffic delays, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
The province tells CTV News Vancouver Island that while project partners have begun carving a new roadway to the site of a huge wooden sightseeing spire atop the Malahat, there could be evening traffic disruptions starting any day.
In March 2019, the Malahat First Nation and design company A.Spire by Nature announced the idea to build a 40-metre wooden viewing platform overlooking the Finlayson Arm of the Saanich Inlet.
The site proposed for the Malahat Skywalk is just north of the mountain summit, on the traditional territory of the Malahat Nation.
The location for the platform, which will be designed to sit amongst a stand of arbutus trees, currently has no road leading to it, meaning crews must begin their work by carving a path to the site and then paving a road.
According to the Ministry of Transportation, drivers may be impacted with brief road closures during evening hours as work begins to build a road to the site.
The disruptions are expected to occur between Whittaker Road and Mill Bay Road.
The Malahat Skywalk is expected to open in spring 2021. The entire project is estimated to cost approximately $15 million.
