Canada Avenue Utility and Road Upgrades Phase 2

• Timeline: May 2026 - Spring 2027
• Roads: Canada Avenue between Sherman Rd and Beverly St. 
• Coordinated concurrent activity with the City of Duncan on their portion of Canada Avenue.
• Federal Active Transportation Grant Co-Funding: This project has secured 60% grant funding on eligible active transportation components.  

Work on the construction of utility and road improvements along Canada Avenue between Sherman Road and Beverly Street will begin in May 2026, within both North Cowichan and the City of Duncan boundaries. This project will complete the Canada Avenue improvements initiated under Phase 1, which were completed in late 2023 and will include improvements to the Friendship Trail between Beverly Street and Third Street. 

The work includes:

• Replacement of two aging bridges over two branches of Bings Creek running north and south 
  of the Cowichan Tribes building (formerly RCMP station), with large box culverts.
• Channel enhancements at Bings Creek at the inlet and outlet of the box culverts. 
  New storm mains to improve road drainage. 
• Replacement and rehabilitation of aging sanitary mains that have reached end of useful life. 
  Replacement of the City of Duncan water main that has reached end of useful life. 
• Speed management features including narrowed driving lanes and speed limit change to 40 km/h in North Cowichan, to match the Duncan speed limit. 
• A new, wider sidewalk on the west side of Canada Avenue. 
• A new paved multi-use pathway along the east side of Canada Avenue to close the existing gap 
  in the Friendship Trail between Philip Street and Sherman Road. 
• Paving of the existing Friendship Trail from Third Street north to the Phase 1 boundary. 

What to expect

• Expect traffic delays and afford yourself extra travel time through the work zone.  
• Frequent single lane alternating traffic, with signage and traffic control persons in place
• Generally, work will take place Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm. Occasionally, work may occur on weekends to accommodate critical stages of the project. 
• An extended period of full road closure is expected (local traffic only) between Phillip Street to Sherman Road, to efficiently facilitate construction. Advance notice and detour information will be provided.  
• Adjacent roads may see increased traffic. Detour routes will change as the project progresses. 

There may be periods when work is paused due to inclement weather, in particular during the winter season, and will resume when weather conditions improve.