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Night roadwork too costly, says mayor of Lake Cowichan

Roadwork and roundabouts: Paving in Lake Cowichan expected to continue until mid-August

Roadwork underway at the intersection of North Shore and South Shore roads will ultimately result in a new roundabout and a freshly paved stretch of road through the Lake Cowichan core.

Drivers will just have to patient while it happens.

The roadwork being done by Duncan Paving will continue Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. until mid-August — if the weather is co-operative.

Though this may cause some inconvenience, the Town of Lake Cowichan and Duncan Paving say they are doing everything they can to make the process as painless as possible.

A few residents of Lake Cowichan have expressed concerns over the roadwork and why it’s being done during the day and not at night as they do in other communities.

“There is an added cost to (doing roadwork from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m.), plus there are noise bylaws, and it’s a residential area, so those hours just didn’t work out,” Mayor Ross Forrest said.

New pavement will be installed from Youbou Road to the Cowichan Lake Sports Arena, and the roundabout is expected to become a new centerpiece for the Town of Lake Cowichan.

“It will improve safety and make driving through town easier,” said Forrest. “That intersection is very busy, so this should speed things up; it will be much better in general.”

The roadwork will cost the Town $1,500,000. The project’s total cost is $3,000,000, but the Ministry of Transportation will be paying for half.

People with questions or suggestions can contact Ken Wright, manager of Duncan Paving, or Larry Squire, assistant project manager, at 250-748-2531.