Victoria breaks ground on Blanshard Street bike lanes and upgrades this week

Ambitious upgrades to Blanshard Street have now begun and work will continue through the remainder of the year. 

This project spans from Caledonia Avenue all the way to Fort Street, through the heart of downtown Victoria. 

The scope of the endeavour is to repave the road, install new left turning lanes, install protected bike lanes, improve pedestrian safety at intersections and crosswalks, improve traffic signals, implement accessible parking and loading zones, landscape the corridor as well as improve lighting. 

This phase of the project directly follows extensive underground construction that was done along Blanshard Street, which the City of Victoria hopes will help mitigate overall costs and traffic disturbances. 

This corridor was prioritized by the City while creating their 2022-2026 Strategic Plan—especially the prioritization of expanding the all ages and abilities (AAA) cycling network.

This portion of the expanded protected bike lanes will join with Fort Street’s newly finished bike lanes, connecting cyclists to safer routes to traverse the city.

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“Blanshard Street is one of the highest collision corridors in the city and the improvements will help move Victoria towards its goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths or serious injuries,” reads a City of Victoria media release. 

The City says that during construction, efforts will be made to minimize traffic impacts. 

Despite this, motorists travelling on Blanshard Street or other alternate routes should plan accordingly and expect delays.

Victoria says this project is slated to be completed in early 2025. 

For more information on this project, sign up for City of Victoria updates online.