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Life on the other side of the fence

Arranwood exit from Ecole Poirier elementary still pending
30564sookeBritt-WoodlandsAccessToPoirier
Though complete with sidewalks and streetlights

As any Poirier-bound bus driver or parent with a child at that school knows, the bottle-neck exit route out of the Poirier elementary and Journey middle school can sometimes take as long to creep out as it does to drive to Langford. Added to that frustration is the fact that there is a perfectly completed road, newly paved with sidewalks and all, on the other side of the chain link fence.

The ever-elusive Arranwood Drive.

In an earlier Sooke News Mirror article, based on conversations with the developer and the district, we reported that the road would be open in the fall. But as with all things construction, the opening of the road did not meet that target.

According to Woodlands developer Blair Robertson, the revised date is looming. Ownership of this completed road is currently being transferred to the District of Sooke.

“Due to liability reasons, this must occur before the road can be open to the public,” writes Robertson in an email received on January 27. “This process involves approval of legal documentation by several approving authorities so it may take 6-8 weeks.”

On February 5, Mayor Wendal Milne confirmed that the road opening is still about four weeks away, putting it on the same timeline as the developer. In part, the road’s opening is weather dependent. Road markings still need to be added, and certain weather conditions need to be met for this to happen.

Milne emphasized that Arranwood Drive would be used as an egress route — exit only — that would be controlled by a gate, open only during school hours and intended only to provide an alternative exit route for vehicle traffic leaving Poirier.