They’ve got their work cut out for them, says Mayor Lois Jackson, who’s hoping to get face-to-face meetings with Premier John Horgan and Green Leader Andrew Weaver.
Saying they want to present the facts and dispel a lot of myths about the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project, Delta council last week approved sending a report with a large volume of supporting third party documents to every B.C. MLA in the hope the new government won’t be swayed by Metro Vancouver mayors to stop construction of the 10-lane bridge.
Delta went so far as to issue a strongly worded news release and followed that with large ads in various newspapers that were headlined: “Politics and misinformation must not stop bridge construction.”
“We’re still trying, haven’t had any luck yet,” said Jackson. “I really hope that they can find some time because it’s such an important issue. Stopping and doing nothing isn’t an option. I know that there’s a lot in the province but this one is right on our doorstep and it’s an immediate concern with everything ready to go.”
Jackson said Delta officials are not even sure if the preliminary work has been halted because Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure staff are keeping tight-lipped.
Metro Vancouver has come out in opposition to the $3.5-billion project, stating just one reason is a lack of transparency and consultation with respect to design and business case.
Saying all the information and business case is readily available, and that there’s been extensive consultation, including with the City of Richmond, Jackson noted a lot of misinformation being spread simply comes down to politics as other mayors want the dollars for their own projects, even though the Highway 99 corridor and tunnel are not under TransLink’s purview and not part of any Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Council plans.
As far as Richmond’s opposition, Jackson said the fact that Richmond council now says it’s looking for alternatives to the proposed bridge at least acknowledges something has to be done about congestion at the tunnel.
When it comes to the idea of twinning the current crossing with another tunnel, according to one of the third party engineering reports compiled by Delta, a replacement tunnel is more expensive, at $4.3 billion, with more associated risk.
A replacement tunnel is also significantly more environmentally damaging than a bridge as it requires an open river cut of approximately 150 metres in width, Jackson said.
NDP leader John Horgan this week said he’d look to solve congestion at the tunnel but, so far, he hasn’t said a bridge project would be officially cancelled as soon as the NDP assumes power.
