Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvements | Completed

[VancouverMark]

Originally Posted by DKaz

Listened to the radio, absolutely no traffic on the Mary Hill Bypass westbound.

I drove it this morning and this isn't entirely true. WB MHB was flowing great. Two lanes go up on to the new overpass and then they merge to form a single lane. THis caused a slight backup but nothing like we are used to seeing on MHB. I imagine this will improve once they open all the WB HWY1 lanes.

[Mininari]

Originally Posted by VancouverMark

I drove it this morning and this isn't entirely true. WB MHB was flowing great. Two lanes go up on to the new overpass and then they merge to form a single lane. THis caused a slight backup but nothing like we are used to seeing on MHB. I imagine this will improve once they open all the WB HWY1 lanes.

Re: Traffic, don't forget its mid-August. We'll see how everything runs in September when "Back to everything" traffic shows up. Maybe they can get the 4th highway lane westbound open by then? If not, expect it to be heavy in that merge zone in the mornings after Labour Day.

Once that 4th WB lane is open then we'll see how the 'no additional capacity' Vancouver exits function in the morning

Anyway, arriving in town in 4-5 days by car, so I can't wait to check this all out!

[s211]

Originally Posted by Mininari

Anyway, arriving in town in 4-5 days by car, so I can't wait to check this all out!

The scale of the new bridge next to the old one is something to behold.

[DKaz]

Originally Posted by Mininari

Re: Traffic, don't forget its mid-August. We'll see how everything runs in September when "Back to everything" traffic shows up. Maybe they can get the 4th highway lane westbound open by then? If not, expect it to be heavy in that merge zone in the mornings after Labour Day.

Once that 4th WB lane is open then we'll see how the 'no additional capacity' Vancouver exits function in the morning

Anyway, arriving in town in 4-5 days by car, so I can't wait to check this all out!

Mary Hill Bypass freeflows into a 4th lane which ends just past the Brunette exit for now. There's a 5th lane too ready to open between Lougheed and Brunette but they're probably waiting to do so.

They're opening the Lougheed westbound ramp from the Port Mann Bridge too sometime next month which will take some strain off that section.

[officedweller]

The westbound HOV ramp at Granview Hwy looks to have received its final layer of paving last night.


http://wcs.pbaeng.com/projects/PMH1

Bridge demolition moving quickly:


http://wcs.pbaeng.com/projects/PMH1


http://wcs.pbaeng.com/projects/PMH1

[VancouverMark]

Originally Posted by Mininari

Re: Traffic, don't forget its mid-August. We'll see how everything runs in September when "Back to everything" traffic shows up.

IMHO the difference in traffic between summer and the rest of the year is negligible. As someone who lives down here and drives the Highway 1 corridor from PoCo to North vancouver daily, I would even argue it has been busier this summer than the rest of the year. The 2nd Narrows has become the "new old Port Mann".

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by VancouverMark

I drove it this morning and this isn't entirely true. WB MHB was flowing great. Two lanes go up on to the new overpass and then they merge to form a single lane. THis caused a slight backup but nothing like we are used to seeing on MHB. I imagine this will improve once they open all the WB HWY1 lanes.

When it is final the MHB WB will have 1 lane merging onto the express lanes which is what is happening right now. But the other R/S lane will merge onto the collector lanes to access the lougheed and if need be the HWY1 WB.

[DKaz]

Originally Posted by VancouverMark

I drove it this morning and this isn't entirely true. WB MHB was flowing great. Two lanes go up on to the new overpass and then they merge to form a single lane. THis caused a slight backup but nothing like we are used to seeing on MHB. I imagine this will improve once they open all the WB HWY1 lanes.

Was that slowdown anywhere near as bad as a 20 minute backup from the pedestrian overpass? did you even need to stop or just slow down? I used to drive on the MHB everyday from Mission to Vancouver.

[Klazu]

Can someone please remind me, when should all new lanes and ramps along the Highway 1 be in use? Still this year or next year? When is the whole project going to wrap up?

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Can someone please remind me, when should all new lanes and ramps along the Highway 1 be in use? Still this year or next year? When is the whole project going to wrap up?

Should be at this point next year. Think they said the old bridge will be gone and the new bridge be complete next year.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Can someone please remind me, when should all new lanes and ramps along the Highway 1 be in use? Still this year or next year? When is the whole project going to wrap up?

They just said they're going to re-do the the north side of second narrows, so highway construction is here for a while yet.

BIG changes could be afoot for one of the most traffic snarled areas of the North Shore as the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and the District of North Vancouver are looking at a redesign of roads and Highway 1 access in the Lower Lynn and Seymour areas.

The project includes extending Keith Road around the Seylynn development to Mount Seymour Parkway via Fern Street overpass, widening the Keith Road bridge to four lanes, upgrades and a new park-and-ride lot for Phibbs Exchange, and a possible reroute of the Dollarton Highway and Mountain Highway on- and off-ramps.

http://www.nsnews.com/ministry-to-unveil-hwy-1-redesign-1.595871

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by Pinion

They just said they're going to re-do the the north side of second narrows, so highway construction is here for a while yet.

Thank you for the information. It has passed me completely. That area is definitely in need of a complete re-do, but those seem like enhancements to me, rather than re-doing the whole part. It doesn't sound like that will address the problems of merging with traffic, nor will it add the needed extra 3rd lane each way.

[troublemaker]

What's happening on Hwy 1 between 232 and 264?

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Thank you for the information. It has passed me completely. That area is definitely in need of a complete re-do, but those seem like enhancements to me, rather than re-doing the whole part. It doesn't sound like that will address the problems of merging with traffic, nor will it add the needed extra 3rd lane each way.

That part of the highway goes through a native reserve so widening it is probably complicated, but yeah it seems more about fixing the streets around it. Fixing the southbound on-ramp from Dollarton alone would help a lot though since there isn't enough room for people to get up to 70km/h quickly. I always go into the left lane there for safety reasons.

Really, the biggest problem for north shore highway 1 users is still the Willingdon area.

[DKaz]

The North Van improvements will only make things safer but that bridge is still going to be a bottle neck. Look at Queensborough Bridge for example, safer on both ends but it's still a traffic nightmare.

I still remember back in the mid 90s when a concrete mixing truck heading off the Queensborough onto Marine took the loop too fast and tipped over onto a car heading the other direction from Marine onto the Queensborough, crushing it and killing the driver instantly.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by troublemaker

What's happening on Hwy 1 between 232 and 264?

A truck climbing lane is being built. (In other words, a third lane).

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by DKaz

The North Van improvements will only make things safer but that bridge is still going to be a bottle neck. Look at Queensborough Bridge for example, safer on both ends but it's still a traffic nightmare.

Cassiar tunnel (four lanes) is the current bottle neck, not so much the bridge (six lanes). They are in the process of making the tunnel six lanes though so I think it'll just move the problem east unless the changes really fix the Boundary/Willingdon stretch. I dunno how you "fix" people getting in accidents every day there though.

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

A truck climbing lane is being built. (In other words, a third lane).

eastbound only.

westbound through there is getting pretty bad now. Seems like there is an accident daily anywhere from Glover Road to Mt. Lehman. The climbing lane will help, but still want to see highway improvements all the way to Abbotsford in the near term, and then Chilliwack in the medium term.

[Stingray2004]

Here's a 6-day old pic of crews demolishing the 248th St. Bridge on Hwy 1 in Langley (which will be replaced) as part of the construction of the new EB truck climbing lane between 232nd and 264th Sts.

[go_leafs_go02]

http://www.translink.ca/en/About-Us/Media/2013/August/Carvolth-Park-and-Ride-Rate-Changes.aspx

And Carvolth starts being a pay lot as of September 2013. $2 per day or $40 per month.

As mentioned before, the lot is pretty much 100% full already. Huge success so far.