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The detour to nowhere and getting runaround

Get caught in the Beverly Street detour to nowhere on Monday, Nov. 27?
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The detour to nowhere and getting runaround

How many people are feeling frustrated about getting caught in the Beverly Street detour to nowhere on Monday, Nov. 27? I’m scratching my head about this loopy run around, followed by a runaround from North Cowichan municipal hall.

It all started when I left Beverly Corners on my way to Lakes Road. I crossed the Island Highway going east on Beverly Street but after about 100 metres, I was blocked by a Road Closed sign. I joined a bumper to bumper parade of vehicles following detour arrows directing us to turn right, then right, then right again until we were all back out on the Island Highway. The detour had taken me in a big circle back to where I had just come from.

To make matters worse, Island Highway traffic was extremely busy and the left turn lane off the highway back to Beverly Corners had become so backed up that I couldn’t get over there. The only thing I could safely do without getting into an accident was to turn right onto Beverly Street again, heading back toward the detour to nowhere.

I decided to look into the problem which led to another loopy runaround of a bureaucratic nature.

Everyone I talked to agreed that a detour right back to where I had started made no sense. But according to everyone I talked to, the detour to nowhere was someone else’s fault. The senior flag person on site told me that the detour had been set up by North Cowichan. The friendly receptionist at North Cowichan put me on to Operations; the guy in Operations said, “not my department” and put me on to Engineering. The office manager in Engineering said that this was clearly a provincial responsibility because Beverly Street crosses the Island Highway. Several hours later a North Cowichan engineer phoned me and blamed the detour to nowhere on the paving contractor. He promised me that he is making it his personal project to make sure that the hundreds of drivers who were sent around in circles today will never, ever be given the run around again.

Still scratching my head.

Linda Hill

North Cowichan