Highway 17 — McTavish Interchange Project

Did you know?

Improvements at the McTavish intersection were highlighted as the second highest priority on Highway 17, due primarily to the high number of collisions occurring at it prior to the McTavish Interchange project.

Traffic Pattern Animations

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McTavish Interchange
Traffic Patterns

Traffic Simulation
Animation, 2035

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Welcome to the new Highway 17 interchange at McTavish Road. The interchange provides travellers with a faster and safer route to and from the Victoria International Airport, the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, North Saanich and Sidney.

Road work on the McTavish Interchange is complete. In response to public feedback, additional signs and a barrier have been installed to help motorists navigate the interchange, which include:

  • An advance yield sign at the northbound off-ramp alerting motorists to yield to traffic in the roundabout;
  • Two over-sized yield signs at the entrance to the Lochside Dr. roundabout alerting motorists to yield to traffic in the roundabout, and
  • A yellow barrier along the centreline of Lochside Drive and McTavish Road to ensure drivers remain in the correct lane when approaching the roundabouts in the interchange.

Remaining landscaping work and further navigation improvements are scheduled to be completed in October 2011.

Roundabouts Improve Safety

The new McTavish Interchange features roundabouts instead of traffic signals where the highway ramps intersect with McTavish Road. A roundabout is a circular intersection without stop signs or electronic signals. Traffic flows counter-clockwise around a central island. Roundabouts improve safety by slowing motorists down and by reducing the serious crashes caused by “T-bone”-type collisions that can occur at conventional intersections.

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