Improvements to Langford’s Millstream Road overpass are once again on council’s radar following a cost-related delay.

 

The City of Langford originally postponed the project last spring when construction bid results, pushed up by a regional labour shortage, yielded costs far in excess of the anticipated budget.

 

The municipality has confirmed it will re-tender the project this fall. Pending the results of the tendering process, work on the overpass could get underway by the spring of 2018.

 

The most noticeable change for drivers will be realized in the form of dual southbound turning lanes onto the Trans Canada Highway (TCH), while two northbound turning lanes along Veterans Memorial Parkway onto the southbound lanes of the TCH will be reduced to one in order to accommodate the southbound realignment.

 

Improvements will also yield cycling lanes across the overpass and a sidewalk along the east side of the span.

 

With a sizeable portion of Langford's big-box retailers – such as Costco, Home Depot and Best Buy – situated north of the overpass, Millstream Road has become increasingly congested as shoppers queue up for southbound access to the TCH.

 

In early 2016 Langford completed a connection between both ends of McCallum Road, a move that bridged Millstream Road with the newly-completed Leigh Road interchange. Despite McCallum Road's connection to the Leigh Road interchange and the TCH, big-box shoppers have overwhelmingly opted to use Millstream Road for access to and egress from shopping and residential areas north of the highway. C