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South Surrey interchange improvements should be part of tunnel project: City

Council to consider sending letter regarding 24 Avenue, 152 Street upgrade funding
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Work on the 32 Avenue interchange in South Surrey is underway, but City of Surrey staff maintain interchanges at 24 Avenue and 152 Street should also be addressed as part of the Fraser River Tunnel Project. (Government of BC file photo)

Funding for Highway 99 interchanges at two key South Surrey locations is not included in the scope of the $4.15-billion Fraser River Tunnel Project (FRTP) – but City of Surrey officials maintain it should be.

Council on Monday (April 3) supported a staff report recommending a letter be sent to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Metro Vancouver’s George Massey Crossing Task Force and the TransLink Mayors’ Council reiterating a request that a new interchange at 24 Avenue and upgrades to existing 152 Street interchanges be part of the FRTP, or done concurrently.

The FRTP is a ministry project to replace the existing George Massey Tunnel with an eight-lane immersed-tube tunnel. Its scope includes four travel lanes in each direction, as well as a multi-use pathway.

READ MORE: New 8-lane ‘immersed-tube’ to replace Massey Tunnel

It’s a project the City of Surrey has “significant interest” in, the report – authored by general manager of engineering Scott Neuman – states, explaining that “many South of Fraser River and Surrey residents utilize Highway 99 to travel through the George Massey Tunnel and will continue to use the new tunnel in the future.”

Concerns about traffic generated at already over-capacity interchanges in South Surrey by the new tunnel were expressed to the ministry at an April 1, 2019 meeting, the report notes, and a letter signed by five mayors and two chiefs recommending an assessment of the entire Highway 99 corridor was sent to the province.

The city has worked collaboratively with the ministry on a Highway 99 South Corridor Study since that time, the report continues, with study recommendations including a twinned Highway 99 overpass at 152 Street, as well as a northbound on-ramp and southbound off-ramp at 24 Avenue.

Despite the study and stakeholder concerns, however, the recommendations were not included.

“Staff recommend the 24 Avenue/Highway 99 and 152 Street/Highway 99 interchange improvements either be added to the FRTP or delivered concurrently by MoTI, particularly with the City recently commencing with $45 million improvements to 152 Street north of Highway 99,” the report concludes.

READ MORE: South Surrey interchange improvements coming, province announces



tracy.holmes@peacearchnews.com
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Tracy Holmes

About the Author: Tracy Holmes

Tracy Holmes has been a reporter with Peace Arch News since 1997.
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