There will be no quick end to the roadwork nightmare for commuters trying to drive through View Royal.

A massive overhaul of the Island Highway, which started in July and was slated to end in March, could continue until late May or June, Emmet McCusker, View Royal engineering director, said Friday.

The positive news is that delays will be shorter once the first paving is done, McCusker said.

"It will be a functional roadway and won't actually be shut down," he said.

"That's pretty good news — and we could certainly use some."

Drivers trying to navigate the lumps, humps and potholes between the Four Mile railway trestle and Helmcken Road now have 10-minute stops for alternating one-lane traffic between 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays.

The construction, especially when combined with Esquimalt's work on Craigflower Road, has forced vehicles on to Highway 1, contributing to jams on the northern approaches to Victoria.

Vehicle count on the Island Highway before work started was about 25,000 a day and is now half that.

Don Mann Excavating Ltd., the main contractor, is expected to wrap up work by the end of April, McCusker said. "Paving is a little behind schedule — about a month all in — and that's to do with some of the other work which had to be done," he said.

Unexpected additions included replacement of a sewer main and there have also been weather delays.

Timing now depends on how long crews from B.C. Hydro, Telus and Shaw Cable take to put in services, McCusker said. "If Telus has to wait until Hydro is out, it could be an extra 13 weeks," he said.

Hydro, which has a schedule of six weeks, is now on site and Shaw Cable is expected to begin within the next week.

Telus spokesman Shawn Hall said Telus cannot work on the same pole as Hydro because of the electrical hazard, but is ready to come in right behind.

"We have been ready to do this work since August. We have been waiting to get in there and do our part," he said. "We are usually the last ones off a pole because our cable is usually the lowest on the pole . . . I know there have been delays, but it's nothing to do with us."

The area has many wires, so it's important to take enough time to do the work properly, Hall said. "We can't just cut the cables and put them back later or half of Vancouver Island will be out of services."

The project received a $7.4-million federal green grant because it includes rain gardens in the centre median and Portage Park that will clean storm water before it enters Portage Inlet and Esquimalt Harbour. The cost has now risen to $8.02-million, McCusker said.

Additions have included speed bumps and extra stop signs along View Royal Avenue to stop traffic cutting through the residential area.

A $200,000 decorative rock wall by artist Andreas Kunert is being funded through the town's casino revenue.

When completed, left-turn lanes, bike lanes and bus pullouts will make the road safer and will increase traffic flow slightly, McCusker said. However, for now, businesses are suffering, homeowners are complaining to municipal staff about dust and delays and flag people have been threatened.

Monty Fitz, Don Mann Excavating general manager, said incidents with frustrated drivers have been minor. "On the whole people have been pretty understanding, but I understand why they get frustrated — they are late for work or late to pick up their kids and we just want to get them through," he said.

"But it's a very confined area with incredible volumes of traffic coming through there."

jlavoie@timescolonist.com