In 2009 the Provincial Ministry of Transport announced an improvement project on Highway 14 between Jordan River and Port Renfrew. Since then, there has been about 22 km of new roads, bridges, and other improvements on the Pacific Marine Circle Route. The Route, which allows motorists to travel between Sooke, Port Renfrew, Lake Cowichan, Duncan, and Victoria in either direction, is a major driver of tourism and local economic growth. It is one of the reasons Port Renfrew is quickly developing as a getaway destination similar to other West Coast ports like Tofino and Ucluelet.
The work has now finished with the completion of the Sombrio 1 Bridge, which features a new 1.2km stretch of road that is much straighter and safer than the previous “worst switchback in North America” and single-lane timber bridge that had existed previously.
I came across this time-lapse video showing the new bridge being constructed from the ground up – take a look and see what it takes to build a new link.
Now the most limiting portion of the highway is the drive through Sooke.