Road closure, brush fire close to home for premier-designate

NDP premier-designate John Horgan says improvements to the road link fromVictoria to Sooke will be a priority for the new government that takes officenext week.

A brush fire that started next to Highway 14 (SookeRoad) closed the busy road for several hours Wednesday.

It's a familiar situation for commuters and frequent travellers on the route, which is oftenclosed by accidents or incidents such as floods.

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The latest closureprompted frustrated social media postsfrom people affected bythe road closure. Many featuredthe #Dividedby14 hashtagthat was launched during the recent B.C. election to highlight the weak link to the rest of the Capital Region.

The firewas contained within a few hours Wednesdaybut not before it forced evacuations and destroyed ahome.

In an interview with On the Island's Khalil Akhtar, the premier-designate, who is also the NDP MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca,said the fire was literally close to home.

"I'm very much aware of the road.It's ... virtually beside my house," Horgansaid.

"My wife was texting me, telling me about smoke in the air around our house when the incident happened."

Horgan said he's been in discussions about the state of Highway 14 with Sookeresidents, as well as themayor and councilwho have struck acommittee to investigate options for the road.

"That's going to be a high priority for me when we form a government next Tuesday," Horgan said.

"It's not just because it's in my constituency, of course, but it's because it has received a great deal of attention," he said.

"There's been modest upgrades in the 12 years that I've been MLA, butSookeis a fast-growing community, and Langfordis a fast-growing community going out to meet it."

Horgan said construction of roads and other infrastructure such as health facilities have not kept pace with population and economic growth, not just in Sooke but also in areas such as Surrey and the B.C. Interior.

SookeMayor MajaTait told All Points West host Jason D'Souza the repeated road closures mean there is "always a degree of stress" for frequent travellers on Highway 14.

"When it happens, it's first of all where can I detour, is there a detour available?" Tait said. If not, residents have to make arrangements with relatives or neighbours to handle issues such as picking up children at daycare.

"There's some sections where there is no detour available, so, for the short term, what is going to be our plan for emergencies?" Tait said. "What can we do to get residents home?"