B.C. has announced plans to replace the George Massey Tunnel with a $3.5 billion bridge that would be the largest in the province. The three-kilometre, 10-lane bridge would be built over the Fraser River at Highway 99 over top of the tunnel. "The new bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel will improve highway safety, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from unnecessary idling and save rush-hour commuters up to 30 minutes a day," said B.C. Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone.
"This will be the largest bridge ever built in B.C. When completed, it will address what is now the worst traffic bottleneck in the province and bring travel time reliability to one of our most important transportation corridors, serving national, provincial and regional economies."
Stone explained that the tunnel was announced in 1956 by former Minister of Highways Phil Gaglardi. It was one of the first projects in the world to use advanced technology to sink tunnel sections into place. However, it was a gamble. Shifting sands meant only a five month window to get pieces into place, but the $25 million project was finished on time in 1959.
"It was certainly an engineering marvel," he said.
But, many of its major components have about 10 years of useful life remaining before they need to be replaced, including the lighting, ventilation and pumping systems. The new bridge will be paid for through user tolls. It will offer important safety benefits that include: a design that meets modern seismic standards; additional lanes that make merging safer for all vehicles and will reduce an estimated 35 per cent of collisions; and wider lanes and shoulders that will improve safety and emergency response times. The bridge will be about three kilometres long, with four general travel lanes and one transit/HOV lane in each direction.
Once constructed, it will cut some commute times in half and also improve travel time reliability for the 10,000 transit passengers and 80,000 vehicles that use the tunnel each day.
"A new 10-lane bridge will reduce the congestion that commuters currently face each day, and offer long-term options for transportation improvements in the region, like the addition of future rapid transit," said Delta Mayor Lois E. Jackson. "The environmental benefits are also important to Delta residents, who will enjoy improved access to riverside parkland and regional cycling and walking trails."
The George Massey Tunnel Improvement Project is touted to have a significant benefit for the environment. It will remove more than one million hours of idling vehicles a year and make transit and HOV travel more convenient and attractive. This includes dedicated transit ramps at Bridgeport Road, with direct transit access to and from Canada Line at Bridgeport Station. The project has also been designed to include space to accommodate future rapid transit. For the first time in recent memory, pedestrians and cyclists will be able to cross the river in this location, as the bridge will include a multi-use pathway.
"Expanded capacity at the George Massey corridor will benefit the business community and residents by making it easier and safer for customers, employees and goods to move in and out of Richmond," said Richmond Chamber of Commerce chair Rob Akimow.
Other project components include new interchanges at Highway 17A, Steveston Highway and Westminster Highway and widening about 24 kilometres of Highway 99 to include one dedicated transit/HOV lane in each direction from Highway 91 in Delta to Bridgeport Road in Richmond. It is estimated that about 9,000 direct jobs will be created over the life of the project, supporting the goals of the B.C. Jobs Plan, which builds on the strengths of key sectors. The third phase of public consultation on the project began today and is underway through Jan. 28, 2016. Final decisions made by government will take into consideration the feedback received, along with remaining technical studies and the environmental review. Construction will begin in 2017.
Jack Davidson, president of B.C. Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association, said the bridge is absolutely necessary and praised the various levels of government for lending a hand in funding.
"That corridor is a huge commerce and transportation corridor," he said. "B.C. Road Builders are anxious to do the work. I think we will do everything possible to keep the public safe." Davidson added that keeping motorists moving during the building may be a challenge, but he believes that lessons learned during the Port Mann Bridge project will help greatly. "It’s part of the Pacific Gateway and it is a Canadian road, not just a provincial road and benefits all of Canada," he said.
The public can read the Project Definition Report (PDR) and fill out an online feedback form at masseytunnel.ca or in person at the project office on 2030 – 11662 Steveston Highway in Richmond, B.C. An open house is also scheduled for January.
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