With the Malahat shut down for eight hours earlier in the week, alternatives to the notorious travel corridor are once again getting a hard look.
Along with the ideas of recommissioning the E & N railway from Nanaimo to Langford and a ferry taking travelers from Cowichan Bay to Patricia Bay; advocates are supporting the idea of a bridge over the Finlayson Arm section of the Saanich Inlet.
Bridge advocate Mary Dougherty said it’s an idea that would promote connectivity between growing communities.
She said a lot of the resources that are needed in the Cowichan Valley are on the other side, including the Cancer Centre, neo-natal care, the airport, and the ferries.
Advocates say the proposed bridge would be 300 feet above the water, have four-lanes of traffic on the deck, and a lower deck meant for pedestrians.
Last fall the province said Building a bridge or road link to British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast had too many technical and financial hurdles, so the provincial government gave up on the idea.
