Comox Road will be down to one-way traffic starting on March 10.
The traffic change is being implemented by the Comox Valley Regional District to give crews space for the construction of a new sewer forcemain pipe.
"The one-way traffic pattern change is required as the width of Comox Road is insufficient to safely accommodate two lanes of traffic and the required construction. Two-way traffic from Town of Comox is possible up to the construction zone," a release from the Regional District says. "A U-turn route has been identified for traffic to turn around safely."
Beginning on March 10 from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m., traffic will be one-way moving west from the Town of Comox to the City of Courtenay. The road will be two-way for bicycle and pedestrian traffic during the day.
At night from Mondays until Saturdays, the work zone will be closed to all traffic, including bicycle and pedestrian traffic. The road will remain a one-way on Sunday nights.
People driving cars will be unable to turn right at the 17 street bridge starting on March 10. All traffic heading to downtown Comox will be detoured along the official detour route up Ryan Road onto Lerwick Road. Traffic light timing is being monitored throughout construction to ensure that traffic continues to flow.
鈥淭his is a major change to how we move around in the Comox Valley this spring and the impact will be felt by everyone,鈥� says Director Doug Hillian, Chair of the Comox Valley Sewage Commission, 鈥淭he project team will be monitoring traffic flows closely and adjusting traffic light timing along the detour route to help keep vehicles moving. However, we will all need to add some extra time to our commutes and perhaps consider opportunities to carpool or use transit to reduce the volume of traffic during this period.鈥�
The release says that Back Road is not an approved detour route. The CVRD has been and will continue to be monitoring traffic on Back Road. It is estimated in May 2025, the intersection of Glacier View Drive and Comox Avenue will close to public access to accommodate the construction of the new sewer forcemain and a new roundabout.
The CVRD has been working with BC Transit to ensure that bus routes and times are adjusted. In the Comox Valley Regional Transit area, routes 1and 2 will see some minor schedule changes and routes 3, 4, and 15 will have some detours.
The area affected by one-way traffic on Comox Road will move throughout the project. During the next phase of construction, estimated to begin in spring 2025, the start of one-way traffic will move to Rodello Street and Comox Avenue.
Businesses on Comox Road are open during construction. Please follow the detour routes to continue to visit shops and businesses on Comox Road.
Construction is subject to suitable weather conditions or other possible construction-related delays. We apologize if timelines shift. The best way to stay up-to-date on the project is to sign up for email updates on the project website: . Hit the +Follow button to sign up.
