Years after construction commenced, the Highway 4 Kennedy Lake Project reached a major milestone this weekend, with traffic once again flowing in both directions.
While it might have taken several hours in delays just to get through the 1.5-kilometre stretch during the last five years, today, it takes just 90 seconds.
“It’s been a challenge for sure, and I’m just so excited that it’s now finally coming to a close,” Tofino resident David Corbett told CHEK News Sunday.
The extensive project began in May 2018 and was supposed to take about 18 months and cost $38 million, but major problems with rock blasting, along with delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, put it way behind schedule and over budget.
The final cost is $54 million, with contractor Emil Anderson Construction announcing on Facebook that Friday was the last day of planned road closures and single-lane alternating traffic. They said aside from some minor work to be finished this spring, the project is now complete.
Charles McDiarmid with the Tofino-based Wickaninnish Inn is thrilled.
“It’s a red-letter day,” he said. “We’ve been waiting for years, at least, for this to be done, so it’s a bonus for all of us.”
From those who live nearby to tourists who travel to places like Tofino and Ucluelet, there is relief that the long waits are a thing of the past.
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