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Using the old Delta tunnel could also be in the cards

How about twinning the tunnel? It’s one of the options put forward by consultant Stan Cowdell, whose technical analysis of the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project gave the NDP government reason to kill the $3.
george harvie
Mayor George Harvie wants a new crossing to include dedicated rapid bus lanes and enhanced transit at the onset with the option for bus lanes to be converted to light rail in the future. However, Cowdell's report recommends the province consider eliminating the median HOV/transit provisions.

How about twinning the tunnel?

It’s one of the options put forward by consultant Stan Cowdell, whose technical analysis of the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project gave the NDP government reason to kill the $3.5 billion, 10-lane bridge plan outright.

Cowdell also threw cold water over the previous government’s findings the existing tunnel can’t be sufficiently seismically upgraded and that a replacement tunnel is more expensive with more associated risk.

 

Using the current aging tunnel had been suggested during the Liberal government’s initial public consultations in 2013, after it was announced a new crossing would be built, but the government at the time ended up choosing the 10-lane bridge without using the existing tunnel.

Cowdell’s report notes that other than the seismic design limitations, the submerged portion of the tunnel is in good condition with a remaining service life in the order of 50 years.

In 2004, an engineering firm completed the detailed design of a tunnel retrofit program with the objective of improving the crossing to meet transportation ministry seismic retrofit design criteria for lifeline bridges. The first phase of the retrofit was completed but not the second phase, which consisted of densifying soils and installing seismic drains along the sides of the tunnel, including the approaches, to locally prevent liquefaction and reduce seismically induced structure movements to acceptable levels.

 

massey tunnel

The province today announced upgrades to the 59-year-old George Massey Tunnel will be undertaken

 

The Cowdell report concludes that seismically retrofitting the tunnel is technically feasible, creating the opportunity to incorporate it as one component of a new crossing. “The estimated order of magnitude costs to retrofit the Tunnel to an improved seismic standard (1 in 475 year event or 1 in 2475 year event) could be in the range of $250 million to $300 million, without the consideration of the potential synergies that would be achieved with a new tunnel crossing.”

The report, also critical of several other aspects of the original bridge project including cost, notes, “Provincial policy indicates that economic development benefits most likely should not have been considered in the Project justification for a project of this magnitude.”

The report also examined the benefits including cost savings with a smaller bridge project.

Delta Mayor George Harvie in a statement noted he appreciated Transportation Minister Claire Trevena contacting him last week to give him a heads-up about the province’s next steps for the project, as well as plans to implement safety improvements at the tunnel as an interim measure, but he’s not happy about the timeline for a new crossing.

“Based on my experience and the province’s anticipated timeline of fall 2020 to develop a business case, this creates a completely unacceptable timeframe for our residents and businesses. This is why I will be asking Mayor Brodie, Mayor McCallum, Mayor Walker and First Nation Chiefs Williams and Sparrow to come together to explore options for expediting the process,” said Harvie.

“The people south of the Fraser are not prepared to wait eight-to-nine years for an improvement to their quality of life and daily commute. We need to do everything possible to push the government to implement a solution so that we can reduce this traffic bottleneck well in advance of the current anticipated timeframe.”

 

Harvie also said, “Part of the solution is to get people out of their cars and using public transit. The citizens and businesses of Delta continue to be underserved by transit – we need reliable and efficient bus service to this area to reduce the number of vehicles on our roadways and highways. The current congestion around the tunnel continues to negatively impact the quality of life for commuters and the movement of goods across the region. I look forward to working with my counterparts on the development of a sustainable long-term solution.”