I am very disappointed that the Ministry of Transportation has chosen the partial cloverleaf option for the McKenzie interchange. It will have huge impacts on the residential areas, the three schools and parks in the immediate area.
The project will have a devastating effect on Cuthbert Holmes Park which will lose 1.4 hectares. (The land that they claim is replacing that is mere roadside scrubland that has appeared to be part of the park for decades.)
Traffic using the cloverleaf exit ramp will be brought much closer to the residential neighbourhood. Marigold school property has already been expropriated and all the native vegetation (including mature Garry oaks) screening Marigold and Spectrum schools from the highway is going to be destroyed. And traffic travelling up McKenzie will still be required to stop at a traffic light before reaching yet another light at Burnside Road.
The ministry needs to look forward and not build massive infrastructure like this so close to schools and residential neighbourhoods. I do not oppose “fixing” the intersection but would like the ministry to reconsider other options that create a smaller footprint and less negative impact on the local community.
Katherine Brandt
Saanich