Some Nanoose Bay residents were having a tough time leaving their homes on Monday and will be facing an extended road closure on Northwest Bay Road.
Following a previous road work delay, the road was supposed to re-open on Tuesday, Aug. 20, but the City of Parksville advised Monday that that won’t happen.
“Due to unforeseen factors beyond the city’s control, the contractor has advised the city of new, unforeseeable circumstances that require a further extension to the road closure,” noted the city in a press release. “As soon as detailed information regarding timelines becomes available, we will advise the public. Again, we sincerely apologize for this unexpected delay.”
The closure, at Northwest Bay Road’s north end at Craig Bay, was being compounded with single-lane alternating traffic due to paving by the province on the south end near Rusted Rake Farm. However, an e-mail from Mainroad Mid-Island communications, sent Monday evening, advised that “Mainroad’s paving work project on Northwest Bay Road, Nanoose Bay, [has been] postponed until further notice.”
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The combination of work Monday was causing a headache for commuters, with residents report waiting 30 minutes or more to drive out of Nanoose Bay that morning. One resident left a complaint with The NEWS via voicemail, saying, “there was at least five kilometres of traffic I sat in for a half-hour and moved approximately 50 feet.”
The City of Parksville had recently extended the closure of Northwest Bay Road at Gabriola Drive until 7 a.m. on Aug. 20, citing the late delivery of the watermain bypass piping.
Once the road re-opens for traffic on the north end, the city is planning for single-lane alternating traffic on Northwest Bay Road from Aug. 20 until Sept. 16. Delays are expected.
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