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Delta warns drivers will be sitting all-day at George Massey Tunnel traffic jams

Get ready for a potential day-long rush hour at the George Massey, according to Delta.
massey tunnel
Delta's engineering department says critics' claim a new bridge is a car-centric solution to the congestion problem fail to mention the opportunities the project brings for expanded transit.

Get ready for a potential day-long rush hour at the George Massey, according to Delta.

Traffic volumes at the Alex Fraser Bridge and the George Massey Tunnel took a slight dip when tolls were removed at the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges last September, but clearly not enough to justify cancelling the tunnel replacement, according to Delta’s engineering department.

A survey of the tunnel and bridge crossings after the province removed the tolls found daily traffic volume through the tunnel last September was around 92,200 daily, down two per cent from the previous September. Meanwhile, volume at the Alex Fraser was also down two per cent, and the Pattullo was down 12 per cent. Volumes increased, naturally, at the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges 27 and 30 per cent respectively.

Further recent traffic counts for the tunnel indicated that there are over 94,000 trips through it on weekdays, the engineering department says.

Despite the reported small dip due to toll removal, the engineering department, pointing to provincial longterm projected traffic ques, warns “morning and evening rush hours at the George Massey Tunnel and Alex Fraser Bridge now typically last between seven to nine hours combined per day, making it more difficult for commuters to avoid being stuck in daily congestion. These two crossings also have high traffic volumes during the mid-day hours and are very sensitive to any regional traffic incidents. As traffic volumes increase, the morning and afternoon rush hours may start to blend together in the long term, if no action is taken to improve these crossings.”

A recent report to council notes a “do nothing” decision would have a significant detrimental implications with increasing congestion and travel delays.

B.C. Transportation Minister Claire Trevena, who is waiting for the findings of a review of the suspended bridge project, told the media not to expect any major developments on the corridor anytime soon as the province looks at how traffic is being redistributed with the removal of tolls.

Mayor Lois Jackson told the Delta Chamber of Commerce this week, “Putting the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project on hold while the province reviews 14,000 pages of reports and allocates funds for the Pattullo Bridge, a TransLink responsibility, is absolutely astonishing. The people in this community need an upgraded crossing. One hundred thousand vehicles cross through the tunnel every day. That is 15,000 more than the Pattullo Bridge. We have been talking about this replacement for many years and I am surprised at how quickly it can be brushed under the rug.”

Meanwhile, changes are coming to the Alex Fraser Bridge that will eventually see the addition of a counter-flow lane, while a new interchange is being built to improve traffic flow at Highway 91 at 72nd Avenue.