The B.C. Transportation Ministry must replace six newly-constructed bus stop cement pads along Sooke Road due to incorrect sizing, the Sooke News Mirror has learned.
“The ministry can confirm that the bus pads at all six locations need to be re-done due to incorrect sizing in order to meet accessibility standards for all transit users,” the ministry said in a statement.
The discrepancy in the height is less than 10 centimetres, or four inches, but there is still potential for the curb to be bumped by bus bumpers when using the pullouts.
The ministry explored all possibilities for addressing the concern with the pads, and determined that the best option for getting the pullouts operational as quickly as possible is to remove and rebuild the concrete pads at a lower height.
The additional work is expected to be completed in two to three weeks and cost an additional $90,000 for all six pads
“The ministry is working with our contractor and design consultant to determine the cause of the issue and address the resulting cost increase,” the statement explained.
Once the bus stop foundations are constructed, the Transportation Ministry will work to complete the electrical requirements for the shelters. The project is expected to be finished in mid-May.
The pullouts, on both sides of Highway 14, are located at the West Shore Parkway, Laidlaw Road and Harbourview Road and will allow buses to move fully out of traffic, reducing congestion and the risk of collisions, and providing a safe area for transit users to enter and exit the buses. Once work on the bus pads and shelters wraps-up, the pull-outs will be operational.
Earlier this year, the government announced $10-million in improvements to Sooke and West Coast roads which in addition to the upgraded bus stops, will include three new bus pullout, a new two-lane bridge on Gillespie Road, a bus-queue jump lane, new safety signs, a slow moving vehicle pull out and a rest area.
The project remains on schedule, the ministry said.
