New traffic signals are being installed on the Trans Canada Highway at Carey Road near Uptown.
The work is part of the dedicated bus lanes going in along Douglas Street that last month eliminated left turns onto Carey Road for southbound traffic on Douglas.
Background information from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure indicates the new traffic signals being installed at Carey Road will be for transit use only. The signal will permit buses to leave Carey Road and turn left to head southbound along Douglas Street.
Left turns onto Carey Road are no longer allowed, with a dual left-turn lane being constructed at Saanich Road to allow for extra volume through that intersection.
These changes are part of plans to address traffic congestion in the Capital Regional District.
The affected transportation corridor is one of the busiest commuter routes in the city. It currently carries as many as 1,700 vehicles per hour during peak travel times.
At the same time, public transit buses move 40 per cent of the people who are taking this route during peak hours, while only making up three per cent of the traffic.
Plans call for the completion of the northbound Douglas Street bus lane extension from Tolmie Avenue to the Burnside Bridge by fall 2018 at a total cost of $14.2 million.
The province is contributing $9.575 million, while the federal government is providing up to $4.625 million under the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund.
