I don't think there would be any need to expand westbound to 3 lanes under the overpass, as it doesn't actually usually have much problem in terms of movement; any potential problems in movement resulting from merging movements at the Nelson Road interchange could be solved with the addition of a 3rd lane onwards from there. Eastbound could definitely use it from Knight through to the current 3 lane section at some point in the future.
In the past I had often travelled every weekend to and from a second property in Abbotsford or Mission, I can say that while it can often move well, it is very crowded and in need of expansion. Cars line up the passing lane and pass you in long lineups, sometimes with no more than a car to a couple of car's width between each other.
If you have ever been to Seattle Premium Outlets at Tulalip and looked out at the amount of traffic on I-5, you can notice that the 3-laning is definitely necessary and largely beneficial to that section of the corridor. The stretch north of Everett is fairly comparable to Route 1 between Abbotsford and Chiliwack and handles the traffic volume exceptionally well. The 2-lane/direction I-15 between Barstow and Primm, Nevada (where it widens to 3 lanes ROW) benefits from the occasional third truck lane for trucks and slow vehicles, a similar implementation would definitely be successful here. Highway 1 is pretty much the definite go-to goods movement route between Surrey/Metro Vancouver and Chiliwack and east, similar to how I-15 is the go-to route between Las Vegas and California. I don't think that HOV lanes would be utilised very much as the communities in question are largely independent - that is, a majority of commutes are within-city and not inter-city; thus I think it would be improper to use HOV lanes in that area. The HOV lanes on I5 into Seattle begin just north of Everest city centre, the last major urban area before hitting long stretches of rural farmland, and continue from there only. Similarly I think the implementation of HOV lanes from 202nd St/Langley only is just fine.
Oh, if I'm not mistaken, the previous decade was also huge in terms of BC highway expansion:
-Twinning of Route 19 on the island
-Nanaimo Bypass
-Construction of expanded roads/freeways in Victoria
-Cassiar Tunnel
-Twinning of the upper levels highway and upbringing to full freeway standard
-HOV lanes along highway 1 were added
-Various minor upgrades to Highway 1 in the valley to bring it to full freeway standard (incl. revamping of a section just west of Chiliwack)
Last edited by xd_1771; Aug 24, 2011 at 9:39 AM.
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