The new high school in Duncan officially opened last week, and students are wondering if a new overpass will now be built to make crossing the highway corridor safer.
Plans to put a ‘more welcoming, beautiful and pedestrian-friendly’ overpass were presented almost a year ago to North Cowichan council with a scheduled completion date set for spring of this year.
However, in the City of Duncan there is still no work being done to meet that deadline.
Minister of education and childcare Lisa Beare says there are still plans to bring an overpass online, but details are still scattered.
“The ministry of transportation is working closely with the district, and I can’t give any final details,” she says. “The ministry is working very hard and very excited to be providing the overpass for students and the community to pass safely.
“We’re working closely with the district, and the city to make that happen.”
Despite no indication of construction starting on the overpass, Beare says this is a priority project and information will be presented as it becomes available.
“I can’t speak on their behalf,” she says. “I do know but they’re (Ministry of Transportation) working hard with the city and the district to advance the priority of making sure we have a safe pass.”
North Cowichan mayor Rob Douglas has acknowledged a delay with the project but there are still plans to put the overpass in and he’ll continue to provide his support to make sure it’s done.
“We’ve been in contact with the provincial government and expressing our support for it,” he says. “The municipality is here to advocate for the school board, and if we’re asked to, we’ll contact the province to see what we can do to get the funding.”
There is still no indication when construction will start on the overpass, but the municipality and province both say they’re pushing to prioritize the safety of students and residents.
