The municipality is hoping to keep traffic delays to a minimum when it paves the main road through Snug Cove in mid-September.
The six-weekdays project will include Bowen Island Trunk Road from the BC Ferries property to the top of the hill near BICS. It will also include Cardena Road to the library parking lot.
Following multiple days of wet weather, the contracted paving company has advised Bowen Island Municipality that the new estimated start date for the Snug Cove paving project has been delayed to the week of September 21 - 25. (Updates will be posted regularly at www.bimbc.ca.)
Paving will be done one lane at a time and two lanes of traffic will be open whenever possible, the municipality says in a press release. The impact on ferry loading and unloading is expected to be minimal.
Parking along Trunk Road will be affected periodically. Businesses are asked to advise their staff and encourage customers to observe the posted signage every day. Parking will be available approximately three hours after the new asphalt has cooled. It will be immediately available after grinding.
Commuters who park in Snug Cove and walk on the ferry are encouraged to go to BIMBC.ca and view the “parking in Snug Cove map” for parking options.
The municipality says the road, which was last paved 20 years ago, passed its best-before date five years ago. It’s cracking and crumbling in many spots and the uneven road surface makes it difficult for snowplows to properly clear snow and ice.
The $330,000 project will reduce annual maintenance costs and staff time spent on spot repairs, the municipality says.
The project is moving ahead now because it has to be done before the rainy season but after the busiest parts of the tourism season. It’s also following the municipality’s oil separator project, which was completed on time and on budget.
