Malfunctioning traffic signals are to blame for the significant backup of traffic that occurred at McKenzie interchange Thursday morning, according to the Ministry of Transportation.
The morning commute in and out of downtown Victoria was slower than usual this morning, stemming from changes to the McKenzie interchange that took effect Oct. 31 at midnight.
“We had to change the signal timing in relation to the planned detour change that occurred at midnight,” said Janelle Staite, deputy regional director for the Ministry of Transportation. “There was an issue with how the traffic controller was working in the field. There was not enough green time, particularly in the northbound direction.”
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Drivers were complaining about the extremely short light at Highway 1 and McKenzie Avenue that, according to multiple motorists, only went green long enough to let a handful of cars through the intersection.
It took me 45 minutes to go Northbound from Tillicum to McKenzie. They changed the timing of the lights so it is green for 5 seconds only. #yyjtraffic
— Corpse of Calum (@Calum_C) November 1, 2018
An electrical contractor has been on site since, said Straite, working to adjust the timing.
Just prior to 10 a.m. the northbound traffic had cleared, while southbound resumed typical levels.
Crews were working this morning fix and adjust the issues with the timing of the signals. The changes have now been made and we'll continue to monitor the signals and make further changes to optimize their performance, if necessary.
— BC Transportation (@TranBC) November 1, 2018
The engineer is expected to have the issues fully resolved by the afternoon rush hour.
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