On Friday, May 21st at 11:00 a.m. the Township of Esquimalt held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the Admirals/Colville intersection. Mayor Barb Desjardins was joined for the ceremony by the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of State for Sport, and CFB Esquimalt Base Commander Captain (Navy) Marcel Hallé. Township engineering staff and project consultants were also on hand to discuss the project.
“This truly is a big step forward for our community,” said Mayor Desjardins. “Pedestrians, rail commuters, cyclists and drivers all come together at this point. Not only is this upgrade an engineering feat, it also means that all of these users will be able to move safely and efficiently through – and to – our community.”
The Admirals/Colville Train Stop Kiosk was also unveiled at the ceremony. The kiosk includes community information, maps, and benches for cyclists and pedestrians. “The kiosk is a symbol of our support for increased use of the rail corridor,” said the Mayor, adding that once the E&N rail trail is completed, and a commuter rail service is established, green transportation will become a reality for the community.
Mayor Desjardins expressed gratitude to the Department of National Defence for providing 60% of the funding for the $4 million project. She also thanked both the DND and Public Works and Government Services Canada, which manages the Esquimalt Graving Dock, for transferring lands to the Township to make the road widening and infrastructure improvements possible. “The project benefits the community, the base, and the graving dock and is an excellent example of partners working together to achieve common goals,” said the Mayor.
The new intersection includes a traffic light, safety gates and lights for trains, dedicated bike lanes, left turn lanes on Admirals Road and right turn lanes at all four corners of the intersection. It also creates a safe crossing of Admirals road for users of the planned E&N rail trail, a multi-use path being constructed by the Capital Regional District, connecting Esquimalt with Victoria to the east and View Royal and Langford to the west.
For more information, please contact:
Ritchie Morrison, Communications Coodinator
Tel: 25-414-7122