City of Courtenay completes Cliffe Avenue and 5th Street upgrades

The City of Courtenay has completed its project to improve safety and accessibility at the intersection of Cliffe Avenue and Fifth Street. Upgrades included removing the northbound right-turn channel and [...]

City of Courtenay completes Cliffe Avenue and 5th Street upgrades Published 10:01 am Friday, July 17, 2026 The City of Courtenay has completed its project to improve safety and accessibility at the intersection of Cliffe Avenue and Fifth Street. Upgrades included removing the northbound right-turn channel and adding a fourth pedestrian crossing.

The city says these two changes improve accessibility, simplify traffic movements and strengthen connections for all transportation users. Most of the construction was completed overnight to minimize impact on the public. “We’ve made one of Courtenay’s busiest intersections safer and more accessible, while keeping disruptions to a minimum during construction.

That’s a win for everyone who walks, bikes, takes transit or drives through this area every day,” said Mayor Bob Wells. “Plus, the data gathered through this project also helps us better understand how people move through our community and gives us the information we need to improve operations, respond to changing conditions and make informed decisions in real time and about future transportation investments.” The project also supported the Intelligent Intersection Pilot, a project the city launched in 2026.

It uses Miovision’s AI-powered traffic analytics platform and collected data before and after construction to help the city better understand how the intersection functions. It will also be used to evaluate how the improvements have impacted the intersection. The platform also supports advanced traffic signal operations, enhanced vehicle detection, and emergency vehicle pre-emption.

Due to the success of the Intelligent Intersection Pilot, the city says it will expand intelligent traffic monitoring to the following intersections: – Island Highway and Veterans Memorial Parkway – Lerwick Road and Mission Road – Lerwick Road and Idiens Way – Lerwick Road and Malahat Drive – Cliffe Avenue and Fifth Street (expanded monitoring area)