The South Fraser Perimeter Road is suddenly real and staring us all in the face. And I think some have finally taken a good look at the overpasses springing up and are now wondering what on earth is going on! Our office has been swamped with calls and emails, so I went on another tour of the SFPR to see the status of its progress.
As much as I wish the road weren't there, I have to say it is an amazing construction project. Parts of it, like the exchange at 72nd Street and Highway 99, are a maze and seem overbuilt, but there are other parts that are quite simply stunning in their execution.
One such area is the Nordel Way and River Road intersection, where the SFPR flies over both the sawmill and the entire archeological site under the Alex Fraser Bridge. The ministry was required to create a park at the 5,000-to 10,000-year-old site - one of the oldest archeological "wet" sites in North America.
The road then terraces across the North Delta bluff, leaving the destruction of historic home sites in its wake and while the ministry is working with the remaining homeowners to mitigate noise, it is beyond me how they will cope with the intrusion. Just be thankful your home is not on the Fraser River bluff in North Delta! The other elegant execution is the agricultural irrigation project that was a required compensation project.
But back to overpasses in Delta South. The confusing set at Deltaport Way and Highway 17 is where the ferry traffic will be forced onto the SFPR. It will go under the first flyover and up over the tracks via the second overpass. Meanwhile, Tsawwassen traffic will have two options: it can take an exit to the new road and join the ferry traffic as it goes over the tracks or it can go up and over the first overpass (i.e., over the ferry traffic) and continue down Highway 17 to Ladner Trunk Road.
But here is the real rub. The ministry wants to encourage Tsawwassen traffic to use the SFPR and carry on to that impossible-to-describe-on-paper exchange at Highway 99 and 72nd Street. They are convinced that after a few experiments, Tsawwassenites will see the merit in going the extra three kilometres with no lights and joining the tunnel traffic via dedicated lanes.
I say "encourage," but what is really happening is a series of changes that are intended to discourage Tsawwassen traffic from using the old highway.
First, the on-ramp from Highway 17 to Highway 99 will be reduced to one lane only (although there will now be a lane for Tilbury traffic to go straight through). So all Ladner (and Tsawwassen) traffic will be forced to merge into one lane.
Second, the light at Highway 17 and Ladner Trunk will be set to favour Ladner traffic, which means the wait for the Tsawwassen traffic will be fairly long. See? You guys are supposed to use the SFPR, darn you, so get with the program for heaven's sake! There will eventually be some cosmetic upgrades to the tunnel, but the ministry really doesn't want to spend money on the tunnel given it will be "replaced" in the next decade. I have been told they will be experimenting with a new kind of paint and will be applying it to part of the tunnel only - in an attempt to see how it stands up to dirt and time. I have suggested they leave all lights on all the time, but how they will deal with the lighting issue remains to be seen. Pushing for upgrades will be a big part of my job in the next while.
And lastly, the interchange at Steveston Highway will be upgraded but not rebuilt. It turns out the province won't build a new one unless Richmond helps pay for it, which it has declined to do.
The ministry has, however, finally reached an agreement to remove the tourist centre and we can expect another lane to be in place fairly soon. That one construction project will immediately enhance safety and as far as I am concerned, should have happened a year ago.
I will talk about the tunnel "replacement" project in another column: suffice to say, the project has been "accelerated" and we will be hearing about next steps fairly soon. Meanwhile, if you want a map of the SFPR, go online or feel free to contact my office.
Oh, and by the way, the SFPR will become Highway 17 and Highway 17 will become 17A. And the unused lanes of 17A will not be removed - so welcome to a land of pavement even as they "discourage" your use of the old road.
