One of the amazing things since the pandemic is the local work being completed that for some reason never happened before.
The Chemainus Road Corridor Upgrade Project was actually part of the 2011 Chemainus Town Centre Revitalization Plan, but it’s ironically been primarily done in the last year while COVID restrictions have otherwise been in effect.
No one is disputing the need for this upgrade. It’s just strange it took so long and COVID seemed more like a time when projects wouldn’t be accomplished, rather than the opposite that’s transpired.
For all intents and purposes, the work is done and provides a more pleasing enhanced entrance into Chemainus. All the bells and whistles are just being finished now that also seems more time-consuming than the actual paving, road work and other major facets of the project.
There is much more in the revitalization plan still on the horizon, but certain circumstances have changed such that parts of the original document are now obsolete.
The references to an eventual waterfront walkway are still foremost in the minds of residents, who are hopeful that might start to come to fruition once the Chemainus Road Corridor Project is out of the way.
The charm brought from the Crofton Seawalk needs to be emulated along the Chemainus waterfront as well.
The plan cited 525 metres of wooden boardwalk connecting Kin Park with the foot of Oak Street. Access needed to be negotiated with individual landowners as a first step in the proposed development, the document detailed.
At the same time Chemainus Road has been getting spruced up, the initial stages of the Crofton Road improvements from Chaplin Street to Chemainus Road are moving along. Talk about a project that’s long overdue.
People have been complaining about the bumpy ride along this stretch of road for what seems like eons. Patchwork solutions in the past haven’t worked so it’s great to see a full fix-up and widening of the road taking place.
These infrastructure improvements will go a long way toward making Chemainus and Crofton more pleasant for residents and tourists when they return from COVID hibernation.
