After over a year of planning, work is set to begin next week on the PKOLS (Mt Douglas Park) summit telecommunications tower replacement project.
The District of Saanich initially closed off some sections of PKOLS in November 2024 so that assessments could be made as to the scope of the project.
Now, construction will begin on Monday, January 19th.
Once work begins, PKOLS visitors can expect some areas around the summit to be closed off to public access.
Additionally, the gate to Churchill Drive will remain closed at all times, unless otherwise noted.
The District says that these closures are expected to last for approximately three months while the building phase of the new tower is underway.
Despite some areas being closed off, many are still open to the public, so the parking lot in front of the gate will still be open and available to use, unless otherwise advised by the project contractor.
According to the District, a map with details on the trail and access closures at PKOLS will be provided via their website. As of this publication, the map is not live yet.
The current tower sitting atop PKOLS is more than 20 years old and must be replaced due to aging infrastructure along with new federal regulatory standards.
Saanich says that the tower is a critical component of public safety and cell phone communications in the region.
No mention was made as to if the construction will impact cellular service.
