News Roads & Paving
B.C. crews work the night shift to complete Highway 4 improvement project

To ensure safe conditions for workers, night-time construction will begin on July 6, 2021 as work resumes on the Highway 4 Kennedy Hill improvement project.

While daytime closures have been in practice for the past year, which allowed for crews to safely undertake the more complex blasting work on the project, completing the project’s final phase at night will increase safety for workers and simultaneously, reduce inconvenience for travellers.

The blasting is necessary to widen and straighten the highway following along the high rock bluffs beside Kennedy Lake. It will continue into the summer, but with the most challenging blasting complete, work can now also take place at night.

Nightly closures will take place from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., with the exception of Saturday nights. Any changes to night-time closure windows will be scheduled at least two weeks in advance. Traffic releases will occur at the top of every hour to fully clear all queues via single lane alternating traffic through the day. Drivers can expect delays of about 30 minutes when arriving for the top-of-the-hour closures between 2 a.m. and 8 p.m.

With the implementation of improved drainage ditches and rock fall protection measures, as well as wider shoulders, the project will create a safer and more reliable connection between Port Alberni and the west coast of Vancouver Island for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, the project will benefit the surrounding communities by stimulating economic development and tourism opportunities that rely on this vital corridor.

With a total budget of $53.96 million, which includes $13.5 million in federal funding under the New Building Canada Fund, the project is anticipated to be completed in summer 2022.