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Extensive work on Crofton Road expected soon

Transportation Minister Claire Trevena tells local officials upgrades will begin within a year
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Hopes are high that extensive repair work on Crofton Road could begin within a year, according to North Cowichan officials.

A delegation from North Cowichan met with Claire Trevena, B.C.’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, during this week’s meeting of the Union of B.C. Municipalities in Vancouver and were told permanent repairs should be coming soon to the dilapidated roadway.

The Municipality of North Cowichan sent a letter to Trevena in July asking for “immediate” improvements to Crofton Road to decrease emergency response times and damage to emergency vehicles.

North Cowichan Mayor Jon Lefebure said Trevena told the delegation that government engineers are being sent to assess the road’s condition and that extensive upgrading should begin soon.

He said the province has already begun some patchwork on Crofton Road.

“I don’t speak for the minister, but it seemed that she understood our concerns,” Lefebure said.

“The minister has done her homework and has been aware of the problem for some time. We’ve been to see the minister of Transportation and Infrastructure (which was the Liberal’s Todd Stone before the NDP took power) every year to discuss this issue and they seem to be taking it seriously.”

The ministry is responsible for the busy roadways from the Trans Canada Highway leading into Crofton, including Crofton Road. The road is heavily used by logging trucks, chemical transports, school buses, and ferry and residential traffic, which has caused significant wear and tear on it over the years.

It has also seen significant deterioration from the unusually heavy snowfalls last winter, and the plowing to clear the road has only made the problem worse.

Despite years of studies and promises from the defeated Liberal government, the heavily used road is still full of potholes and dangerous dips that have become a major safety concern for those who have to use it.