Delta has released a five-minute video in its ongoing push to sway the province’s new decision makers not to kill the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project.
According to the municipality, the animated whiteboard video, released last week and available on Delta’s website, will “bring the facts to light” and “explains why we, as a region, need a bridge.”
Delta has been pushing the hashtag #WeNeedaBridge since the Liberals lost power to the Green-backed New Democrats in May’s provincial election. Municipal officials have been trying to get a meeting with Green Leader Andrew Weaver, who has stated he’s not in favour of a bridge, noting twinning the existing tunnel seems like the best option.
Having compiled a large volume of third party reports that support a replacement of the tunnel, Delta officials have also been trying to meet with Premier John Horgan.
Instead, a couple of weeks ago, Mayor Lois Jackson was part of a delegation that met with Transportation Minister Claire Trevena, a session Jackson described as productive.
On Monday, Jackson and CAO George Harvie met with Green Party deputy leader Adam Olsen, the MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, who invited Delta officials to discuss the project.
Last week, Delta council endorsed a staff report urging the provincial government to extend the contract process so it has the opportunity to review all the information before making a decision on the 10-lane, $3.5-billion bridge.
Delta is also asking the province to address immediate safety concerns regarding the aging tunnel, including the electrical systems, deteriorating concrete, ventilation and the need for a better warning system for over-height vehicles following numerous instances of damage to the tunnel’s fire sprinkler system.
The City of Richmond is pitching twinning the existing tunnel with either a four-lane or two-lane underwater crossing.
In a letter this month, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie acknowledged it “is imperative that the on-going congestion around the tunnel be addressed in a timely manner.”
Harvie said if the current project is scrapped, he fears a solution would likely be delayed by upwards of a decade.
