The Town of Qualicum Beach has chosen the construction company to build a proposed roundabout at the interesection of Memorial Avenue and Highway 19A.
The project was put to tender and the successful firm was Copcan Civil Ltd. from Nanaimo, which proposed to build the roundabout for $3,289,395.90. They beat two other bidders, Knappett Industries Ltd. ($3,410,818.95) and IWC Excavation Ltd. ($3,603,375.93).
This work is part of the Memorial Avenue upgrades, with other phases of work that include Beach Creek Estuary & Marine Spit Project, Memorial Trunk Sewer Project, Crescent Road/Memorial Avenue intersection improvement, Village Way/Memorial Avenue intersection improvement, Memorial Avenue utility undergrounding, and stormwater diversion from the commercial core to the waterfront.
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“Construction of the Memorial roundabout is a highly anticipated project,” said Mayor Brian Wiese. “It is the primary connector between two of Qualicum Beach’s key assets - the town’s uptown core and its waterfront. With the implementation of the roundabout, vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists are able to experience a safer, more user-friendly way to access the waterfront. The town can also anticipate a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions with less idling and improved vehicle movement.”
The intersection is the highest crash site based on ICBC data. As well, there have been multiple pedestrian fatalities in recent years. The town indicated the reconstruction of the intersection will increase public safety, calm traffic, improve services levels and reduce idling. It was also pointed out Transport Canada recommends converting signalized intersections to roundabouts wherever appropriate.
Statistics show roundabout lead to a 75 per cent reduction in collisions with injuries, 90 per cent reduction in fatal collisions, and 39 per cent reduction in overall collisions.