Chemainus Road Corridor Upgrade Project

UPDATE - DECEMBER 1, 2019:

RIVER ROAD WESTBOUND TRAFFIC DETOUR DEC 2 & 3. Starting Monday, December 2 to Tuesday, December 3, the intersection of Chemainus Rd and River Rd will have limited access for 2 days (from 7:00 am -5:00 pm). Only east-bound traffic on River Rd will be permitted to exit onto Chemainus Rd and will experience some intermittent delays. All west-bound traffic on River Rd normally exiting off Chemainus Rd will be detoured onto Henry Rd and then Highway 1 north-bound to access River Rd (Click the link to see the  Detour Map [PDF - 456 KB]).

NOVEMBER 2019:

North Cowichan is upgrading a portion of Chemainus Road between Henry Road and Victoria Street in order to improve the accessibility and safety of this arterial road.  The Chemainus Road upgrade project was first proposed and envisioned by the community through development of the 2011 Chemainus Town Centre Revitalization Plan. The road upgrade will include:

  • Removal and replacement of expired underground infrastructure, including sewer, storm and water main;
  • Road widening on the east side;
  • Relocation of Telus/Shaw overhead lines underground;
  • New roundabout at the intersection of Chemainus Road and River Road;
  • New gardens within the roundabout area, including street furniture;
  • New sidewalk on the east side, with 80% existing sidewalk on west side to replaced;
  • New boulevards, including landscaping, street trees, and decorative street lighting;
  • On street parking on both sides; and
  • New asphalt road surface.

 The approximate project timeline is illustrated below:

Construction Schedule Information:

  • Construction will start mid-November 2019
  • Phase 1 - Underground utilities construction will take 4 months - Mid-November 2019 to Mid-March 2020.
  • Phase 2 - Above ground surface works will take 7 months - Mid-March to Mid-September 2020.
  • Starting point of undergound construction in Mid-November will be Victoria St and Chemainus Rd.
  • Construction will typically end at 5:30 pm each day and both lanes will be left open, unless unusual circumstances cause the crew to work longer to complete the task.
  • Construction will typically not occur on weekends, unless unusual circumstances cause the crew to work longer to complete the task. 
  • There will be 1 to 3 flaggers on the work site during construction.
  • Copcan Civil Ltd. Project Manager, Chris Laramee, will work with owners on Chemainus Road regarding access and parking on a daily basis. His contact information is (250) 754-7260 or claramee@copcan.ca.
  • No construction will occur from December 22 to December 29, 2019.
  • The Construction Crew will not be working New Year's Day, January 1, 2020.

Additional Information:

For more info: contact Morgan McLeod, Development Planner, 250.746.3190 or morgan.mcleod@northcowichan.ca

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