Practical steps to improve Sooke traffic right now

If we can’t afford the Throup Road connector right now, what can we do about traffic?

Here’s one place Sooke Together would start: finish the Highway 14 improvements already planned, including intersection improvements and turning lanes.

At Charters Road, the intersection is to be signalized with a westbound right-turn lane. The design work is essentially shovel-ready, construction is anticipated in 2027, and the project is already identified in Sooke’s 2027 Capital Plan. Let’s get it built. At Church Road, the waterfront development there is contributing to improvements, including a new bus bay and sidewalk. (A moment of silence, please, to acknowledge that we all loved Mick Rhodes’ vision of a waterfront park here.)

Let’s keep pushing for the other Highway 14 improvements Sooke has been promised by the Province. Build the turning lanes. Improve the intersections. Make the school crossings safer. Keep improving transit infrastructure. None of these things alone will solve Sooke’s traffic problems. Neither will one new road. But practical improvements on Highway 14 will make a real difference.

And while that work moves ahead, we can take stock of our own aging roads and infrastructure, figure out what we can afford, and continue pursuing substantial grant funding for future connections like the Throup Road connector.

Sooke Together action item: don’t confuse “we can’t afford Throup right now” with doing nothing. Get the Highway 14 improvements already planned built - and keep pushing the Province for more.