Hwy 99 Fraser River Tunnel (George Massey Replacement) | Proposed

[chowhou]

Say what you like about the BC Liberals but at least they got infrastructure projects done. Were they always optimal? No. Did they piss a lot of people off? Of course. But perfect is the enemy of good enough and I can't off the top of my head think of a project built under the BC Liberals that I wish was never built at all.

[Stainer]

Up next the announcement that they'll do seismic upgrades instead for a fraction of the price.

If it's actually over 10B, the amount of good transit that could buy us instead..

[Metro-One]

At this point, I’d much rather they use 10 billion+ on a few interchanges in Kelowna and twinning highway 1 through the interior.

Just forget the GMT replacement. We had our window, a project was in motion, we missed it. Time to move on.

[jollyburger]

Meanwhile Malcolm Brodie showing off his big brain.

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said he would like to see a greater emphasis on active transportation options, such as biking and public transit, but understands that isn’t feasible for everyone.

https://vancouversun.com/news/bc-massey-tunnel-project-back-tender

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Say what you like about the BC Liberals but at least they got infrastructure projects done. Were they always optimal? No. Did they piss a lot of people off? Of course. But perfect is the enemy of good enough and I can't off the top of my head think of a project built under the BC Liberals that I wish was never built at all.

Yep!

I don’t hear anyone saying, “I wish we didn’t have the Port Mann Bridge, upgraded highway 1 (including centre lane rapid bus with direct ramps), Golden Ears Bridge and connector, Pitt River Bridge, upgraded Sea to Sky, Canada Line, Evergreen Line, new Okanagan Lake Bridge, the twinned section of the Cariboo Highway, all the twinned sections of the 97 through the Okanagan, the twinned Fraser Bridge in Prince George, highway 11 twinned in Abbotsford, fully twinned highway 15, the SFPR, the full freeway upgrade to the 91, the railway grade separations throughout Delta, Surrey and Langley, oh God, too many to list!”

[foolworm]

Originally Posted by madog222

Where can we find grade separated pedestrian crossings of regular street on/off ramps in Canada?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NX2qgtsk3FytrSkf8

Peace River AB, population 6000.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by foolworm

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NX2qgtsk3FytrSkf8

Peace River AB, population 6000.

We found one!!!
Indeed, BC really needs to take a page from Peace River’s urban development handbook.

But to get super pedantic, it looks like that road is officially part of Highway 744 so I’m not sure I would say it counts.

[s211]

Sack of sh!t unions of course saying this is the right course of action. No wonder the NDP killed the project: follow the money. The unions somehow think they'll be winning like kings because of this re-set.

[libtard]

This is not good at all. I feel like this will result in a crappier overall product. Also I never really noticed before but the shoulders are non-existent in the tunnel which screams value engineered

[p78hub]

At this point the tunnel could collapse tomorrow and 10 years from now the government would still be dragging their feet on the replacement.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by libtard

This is not good at all. I feel like this will result in a crappier overall product. Also I never really noticed before but the shoulders are non-existent in the tunnel which screams value engineered

Lack of a shoulder on major crossings, including bridges here as there aren’t many tunnels, is just par for the course in Canada. We just put up with the inconvenience of a blocked lane during the rare times someone happens to break down on the crossing and isn’t able to limp to the other side.

Not really fair to call it value engineering if that is what has been specified from the beginning.

[foolworm]

I was being cheeky there, true.

Originally Posted by madog222

A highway in name only, it's an arterial road with a 50km/h speed limit.

I remember when this thread was only 100 pages and the BC Liberals were proposing a stack interchange -- probably the first in Western Canada.

https://x.com/StephanieFroese/status/775883827600175104/video/1

Also, the Port Mann bridge had issues getting off the ground as well. It happens with these megaprojects.

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by Diegotheartist1

I guess R.I.P. again. Now it’s gonna be another battle between “do we build a replacement tunnel“ or “do we replace the tunnel with a bridge”

I think the only responsible compromise would be to build a tunnel, build a viaduct bridge within the tunnel, then partially flood the tunnel. Tunnel people get a tunnel. Bridge people get a bridge. I see no downside.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

From people I know in the mix, rumors of the cost being north of 10 billion have been making the rounds…

I don’t like to say I told you so… but that 2.6 billion dollar bid for a 10 lane bridge, centre lane rapid bus with free flow direct ramps, new interchanges, and 30km of upgraded highway completed in 2022 sure sounds pretty nice right about now…

You're assuming that was a real number.

[mcj]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

You're assuming that was a real number.

And the best use of the funds at the time.

At this point in time, $11B to add an extra lane to incentivize more car dependency south of Fraser probably isn't the best use of funds.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

You're assuming that was a real number.

Well, considering that a close relative of mine was deeply involved with the pile driving component of the 2.6b front running bid, and that number has been confirmed by various other sources, it’s far from just an assumption, and calling it that now seems like a poor attempt at a cope.

And it sure as hell wouldn’t have been 11billion!!

That’s right, rumored price tag is now 11 billion for no new interchanges and roughly 2km of tunnel / upgraded highway. (For reference the original plan had 30km of highway upgrades, major interchange rebuilds, median bus lane with direct bus only grade separated ramps, ahhh, you know the story

Just pull the plug and dust off the old documents and build the bridge for an inflated 5 billion, then use the remaining 6 billion for other highway upgrades around the province. Maybe a couple interchange conversions on the SFPR, a couple long promised interchanges in Kelowna, and interchange or two on the 17 through Sannich and Victoria, and maybe some highway 1 twinning.

[s211]

Originally Posted by mcj

$11B to add an extra lane to incentivize more car dependency south of Fraser

Textbook reductionism.

[Repthe250]

Originally Posted by mcj

And the best use of the funds at the time.

At this point in time, $11B to add an extra lane to incentivize more car dependency south of Fraser probably isn't the best use of funds.

You’re forgetting Delta Port lies south of the Fraser. An extra lane doesn’t just help commuters. It also moves goods. If we want to grow our exports and economy, the current tunnel isn’t gonna cut it.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Repthe250

You’re forgetting Delta Port lies south of the Fraser. An extra lane doesn’t just help commuters. It also moves goods. If we want to grow our exports and economy, the current tunnel isn’t gonna cut it.

I was musing today wondering if there was an alternative. Most Vancouverites probably don't know that there actually is a freeway running to downtown Vancouver along the waterfront, it's just off limits to non-port related traffic to ensure goods keep moving even when Vancouver traffic is snarled. Perhaps there is a world where truck traffic gets diverted off 99 to a separate crossing that b-lines straight to Delta Port with limited access?

[Vantage]

Originally Posted by mcj

And the best use of the funds at the time.

At this point in time, $11B to add an extra lane to incentivize more car dependency south of Fraser probably isn't the best use of funds.

$11 billion to modernize an ageing tunnel that is not up to seismic code. More accurate.