Editor:
Global TV News aired a story on Jan. 10 that showed Delta Coun. Dylan Kruger wanting a new overpass/on-ramp from Ladner via River Road to the 99 northbound.
Transportation Minister Rob Fleming has said this on-ramp is contingent on federal funding and is not in the current plan. The proposed on-ramp would be an extension of River Road near the existing exit 29 south off ramp.
Why would any traffic engineer put an on-ramp only 500 metres away from an existing on-ramp at 17A? That makes no sense.
Further, a new on-ramp would be about 400 metres from the proposed tunnel entrance. On-ramps are where vehicles usually slow the main flow of traffic. Can you imagine the gridlock this proposed on-ramp will provide?
In addition, Delta council has apparently chosen not to have a public hearing specifically on this issue or gather input from residents along and near River Road.
Council had no problem asking these residents about their input for a proposed new signal light at River Road and Ferry Road but I guess having a new on-ramp carrying hundreds of vehicles a day was not important enough to ask residents? If they had asked they would have found that there is an elementary school (Neilson Grove) only one block away from River Road where students will need to cross to attend school thus raising the risk of a disaster. Also, the land being proposed for the on-ramp is part of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).
For a city that prides itself in a farming heritage, it’s hard to believe this is not important.
I’m not supportive of a new overpass/on-ramp. The risks are just too high.
Keith Munro
