Editor: Re: New crossing comes ahead of schedule, letter to the editor, Oct. 9 I was a supporter of Greg Hoover's long struggle to convince the provincial government that his route was better than the one taken by the South Fraser Perimeter Road.
However, after reading his rambling dissertation about replacing the aging George Massey Tunnel with a new bridge, I wonder what caused him to write such a letter without including all of the facts.
Let's review a few basic truths: The new bridge is not being built solely for the residents of Ladner and Tsawwassen, just as those same residents do not solely use the tunnel. The much greater population that uses the tunnel and that will use the new bridge comes from South Surrey, Langley and even Aldergrove.
Those areas are experiencing a population boom that will only accelerate in the coming years. We will see South Surrey and Langley grow by tens of thousands over the next decade.
Are we experiencing a population boom in Tsawwassen and Ladner? The short answer is no.
He goes on to state the only group that benefits from the new bridge is Port Metro Vancouver. That's ignoring the facts.
The tunnel is old and despite seismic upgrading, I wouldn't want my cat, with all of its nine lives, to be in there when we experience a big earthquake.
So let's park the rhetoric and move ahead with a bridge that will alleviate our transportation bottleneck for decades to come.
Hart Pfortmueller
