A major artery connecting drivers to south Vancouver Island is set to reopen 24 hours a day. No more overnight closures on the Malahat Highway.
In a Thursday morning tweet, BC Transportation said repair works are “progressing well enough” that single-lane alternating traffic can now continue through the day and at night.
#Malahat UPDATE:#BCStorm repair works are progressing well enough that single lane alternating traffic can continue 24 hours a day.
No overnight full closures planned.@DriveBC for future updates: https://t.co/XdLlUvLQgG#yyjtraffic #BCHwy1 pic.twitter.com/e8bhhG8VSQ— BC Transportation (@TranBC) November 18, 2021
That’s way earlier than crews anticipated.
On Tuesday, officials said the section of Highway 1 between West Shore Parkway and Tunnel Hill would be closed in both directions from 6 pm to 6 am, until Nov. 22.
Repair work was needed after heavy rain on Monday washed away a portion of the shoulder for the northbound lanes.
Since that time, there have been long lineups as drivers waited to get through. There were also pleas for people to avoid non-essential travel altogether.
If necessary, drivers were encouraged to take the Pacific Marine route as an alternative, or the Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay Ferry. BC Ferries also added a sailing between Swartz Bay and Duke Point to help damper delays.
Delays still abound:
Drivers should still brace for delays on the Malahat. While work is underway, some intermittent closures are likely to assist fuel tankers and emergency services through the site.
With this in mind, the Ministry of Transportation is asking drivers to obey construction zone speed limits and the direction of traffic control personnel.
For additional updates, check DriveBC.ca.
