The new provincial government has shown some promise in recognizing our longstanding infrastructure deficit.
It has started planning for a new Surrey hospital and is moving forward on housing units for the homeless. Bridge tolls have been eliminated, and the government is expanding the Alex Fraser Bridge to seven lanes.
However, it has dropped the ball when it comes to Highway 99 improvements, and its response to dealing with the 152nd Street overpass makes no sense.
A Dec. 4 crash involving an overheight truck caused significant damage to the overpass, which opened in the early 1960s.
Traffic on 152nd Street has been restricted to one southbound lane over the damaged overpass, and northbound Highway 99 traffic has been restricted to one lane.
Last week, the province announced it will do the needed repairs to the old overpass, replacing damaged girders and the deck. There was no mention of replacing it, though it’s been a traffic choke point for years.
Transportation Minister Clare Trevena was unavailable for comment last week about the government’s longer term plans for the overpass, which for many years has been identified as needing replacement.
Ever since the 32nd Avenue underpass and on-ramp was built more than 20 years ago, the area has boomed. While the 24th Avenue overpass was replaced years ago and a new overpass, and freeway access, has been added at 16th Avenue, there has been no changes at the 152nd Street/32nd Avenue interchange. Because there is no freeway access at 24th Avenue, the 32nd Avenue on-ramp is regularly backed up.
There needs to be longer-term thinking in Victoria about Highway 99. South Surrey is among the fastest-growing regions of the province. The province has put off, and may cancel, plans for a new Deas Island bridge to replace the George Massey Tunnel.
While there have been improvements in Delta at the approach to the tunnel, and the 16th Avenue on-ramp now makes it easier for some to get onto Highway 99, the problems remain at 152nd Street and 32nd Avenue.
The damage to the overpass has made these problems much more obvious. Area businesses have experienced significant drops, traffic is congested for most of the day and some have to go out of their way significantly to get around the mess.
The province needs to make the repairs to have the overpass and Highway 99 restored back to the way they were prior to Dec. 4. Those repairs should be complete by April. It also needs to give much more consideration to replacing the overpass altogether, with four lanes.
One other question comes to mind. Will taxpayers be fully responsible for all these repairs, or will the province be going after the trucking company whose driver took an overheight load on a route that should have been avoided? Height limits are posted, and there is no excuse for hauling an overheight vehicle under a bridge that is too low.
Frank Bucholtz writes Fridays for the Now-Leader.
edit@surreynowleader.com
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