Metro Vancouver Rejectes Massey Tunnel Replacement Bridge
Bakken oil and thermal coal unit trains from the American mid west
are the big driver for the Massey Tunnel replacement.
As expected.
The real reason for the bridge is, of course nothing to do with the safety issues with the tunnel, rather Fraser Surrey Docks want to bring Panama Max. tankers and colliers to load extremely volatile Bakken oil and dirty thermal coal from the American mid west, from their facilities in Surrey.
The reason: Bakken oil and Wyoming Coal is coming to BC is that the Ports of Vancouver Washington and Tacoma. soon will not allow to ship such commodities.
What the proposed ten lane bridge will not do is alleviate traffic congestion on Hwy 99.
Delta mayor, Lois Jackson, is showing her age and lack of comprehension by attaching herself to this massive project and using it as her vanity project swan song in her waning career.
All this massive bridge will do is create massive gridlock on the Hwy 99 in Richmond, starting at Steveston Hwy as the present roads are at or near gridlock at peak hours and adding more traffic will create traffic chaos.
What this provincial bridge project does show, is that the $2.4 billion BC Liberal showcase p-3 rapid transit project, the Canada Line is a White Elephant and not even being considered to extend into South Delta.
So, to make this easy for the likes of Delta mayor to understand, the only reason that this bridge is being built, is that Fraser Surrey Docks, big donators to the BC Liberal party, wants the taxpayer to subsidize building a new $3.5+ billion bridge so the taxpayer can again pay for the removal the perfectly good George Massey tunnel and dredge the South Arm channel deeper to allow massive tankers and colliers (too big for the Panama Canal) up the Fraser to load cargo that Americans will not allow to be loaded in their country.
The proposed bridge has nothing to do whatsoever in relieving gridlock; it will just move it about 2 km North.
The cost to move gridlock 2 km.?Ai?? Over $1.75 billion/km. or put another way, enough build three Leewod/RftV TramTrains lines from Chilliwack to Vancouver.
Metro Vancouver opposes 10-lane Massey Bridge
Rendering of 10-lane Massey Bridge.ai??i??Ai??image credit: Transportation Ministry
- byAi?? Jeff Nagel – BC Local News
- posted Jun 29, 2016
Metro Vancouver’s regional board says it can’t support the province’s $3.5-billion plan to replace the Massey Tunnel, at least not the proposed 10-lane bridge.
Regional district politicians have released an assessment critical of the project, arguing the proposed bridge will have a dramatic impact on regional growth, steer more people into cars instead of public transit, and ultimately increase not decrease congestion.
Metro utilities committee chair Darrell Mussatto said the regional government estimates it will be forced to spend $20 million to $340 million replacing or modifying water and other utility lines under the river because of the project, and the bill for Metro could rise to as much as $1 billion if the port authority seeks to dredge the Fraser River for increased shipping and underwater utilities must be dug deeper.
“We definitely disagree with a 10-lane bridge,” Metro board chair Greg Moore, adding something between four and 10 lanes might be more acceptable. “We know from experience around the world you can’t build your way out of congestion.”
Moore said regional planners are concerned such a huge expansion of the bridge and Highway 99 will increase pressure to develop farmland and undermine Metro’s regional growth strategy of containing urban development.
The region also cites concerns with ecological disruption to the Fraser estuary, air quality impacts if all 10 lanes end up clogged with idling traffic and impacts on Deas Island Regional Park.
Mussatto said the new Port Mann Bridge has sped workers further along Highway 1 but they slam into major congestion at the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge to the North Shore.
He predicts the Oak Street Bridge will also end up a “very big pinch point” after the Massey bridge is built, and possibly the Knight Street Bridge as well.
I like Lois Jackson, and her intentions are good. On the other hand, “Premier” Christy Clark (CC) flashing her plastic smile at every opportunity is daft for wanting to replace the Massey Tunnel with the 10 lane “tolled” bridge. Can’t we impose minimum standards and an IQ test for the Premier’s job in BC?
I do agree partially with Lois; something definitely has to be done about the bottleneck and hazard at the Massey Tunnel. I drove through the Massey Tunnel to Seattle for five years and whoever thought of the Mickey Mouse band aid (made in BC) alternating suicide lane for the Massey Tunnel needed to have been executed after the first of many fatalities that resulted.
Here’s the logical fix: turn all all four lanes of the Massey tunnel into a one way crossing and beside the Massey Tunnel build a three or four lane bridge for cars and two lanes for LRT. There, wasn’t that easy? What’s not to like? It costs one-half the cost of the 10 lane tolled bridge idea by the airhead who received a big raise or whatever, recently.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/christy-clark-s-salary-top-up-challenged-by-ndp-in-conflict-complaint-1.3555525.
We need a bridge, it just needs to be modest and contingent upon the protection of farm land. What we don’t need is development by slimy HK and other developers who bribe crooked politicians after the bridge is built for more farm land to be turned into condos.
God almighty!! This woman has to be stopped along with her corp backers,this coal ,oil idea going down the Fraser River is sheer madness to say the least .Having sailed for several years up and down the Fraser river the West Coast, anybody in there right mind would not condone this it was bad enough when the auto carrier,s were going up to New West but with larger ships coal and oil across from the City and down stream give your heads a bloody shake.There is a reason the Americans do not want want them shipped from there western ports.Course air head is being told what to do we get to breathe the air and dust and clean up,think Mount Polley.