Highway 1 Fraser Valley Phase 1: 216th Interchange | Compleated - Page 7

s211 · #**121** Posted **Aug 26, 2020, 8:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orcair

I realize you are being hyperbolic, but I'd love for some specific examples of this... the Hwy 1 expansion, Nordel/SFPR exchange, Pattulo replacement are all still proceeding as far as I know...

Every. Single. Project. Is. Not. Even. Designed. To. Handle. Current. Capacities.

Seriously, what planet are you from?

Nites · #**122** Posted **Aug 31, 2020, 9:06 AM**

I was coming back from Kelowna on the 23rd (Sunday) around 7pm and from Vedder Road to 200st it was a slow crawl. It took at least 1 hour 20 mins. I had no idea it was this bad. At first I thought it was a major accident but no it was just volume. Crazy stuff.

s211 · #**123** Posted **Aug 31, 2020, 3:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nites

I was coming back from Kelowna on the 23rd (Sunday) around 7pm and from Vedder Road to 200st it was a slow crawl. It took at least 1 hour 20 mins. I had no idea it was this bad. At first I thought it was a major accident but no it was just volume. Crazy stuff.

According to twitter, there was a westbound accident that shut down the highway in the Fraser Valley a few hours earlier. I hear the backup was insane.

Your first error was coming back on a Sunday! It took me a few years to learn that lesson, and now avoid the TCH on Sunday like the plague.

aberdeen5698 · #**124** Posted **Sep 1, 2020, 5:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s211

Your first error was coming back on a Sunday! It took me a few years to learn that lesson, and now avoid the TCH on Sunday like the plague.

I came in from the Okanagan today (Monday) in the afternoon, and it flowed pretty well at or above the speed limit. But I did have to come quickly to a complete stop three times from Abbotsford thru to Langley due to the volume of merging traffic.

You need to keep a generous distance from the guy in front so that when he slams on the brakes you have enough room to pump yours to get the attention of the guy behind you so that you don't get rear-ended. That nearly happened once this afternoon, despite my best efforts.

hollywoodnorth · #**125** Posted **Sep 1, 2020, 9:18 AM**

did this open yet? lol

libtard · #**126** Posted **Sep 1, 2020, 3:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

did this open yet? lol

Not yet, drove past it yesterday

dharper · #**127** Posted **Sep 2, 2020, 5:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dharper

This project should be open in the next few days. Paving is all done, barriers are almost all in place, and a few lines need to be painted yet.
It lines up pretty close to the "end of August" response I received when I asked when the project would be finished, back in July.

I was wrong. Clearly I forgot how slow this project was creeping along.

libtard · #**128** Posted **Sep 5, 2020, 11:37 PM**

It’s open

Denscity · #**129** Posted **Sep 6, 2020, 12:33 AM**

Sweet. Any pics for the out of town kids like me?

WarrenC12 · #**130** Posted **Sep 6, 2020, 1:26 AM**

Took it both ways on Friday and got into hellish backups due to accidents both times. Nice improvement, but you're through the whole area in 5 mins at regular speeds. Most of the money was spent on the interchange IMO.

Related under the radar improvement is the repaving of the East Van/Bby stretch of #1. Smooth and quiet.

libtard · #**131** Posted **Sep 6, 2020, 2:37 AM**

So the 3 laning from 202A to 216th is just the addition of an HOV lane. Like I said back at the very beginning of this project, the ultimate configuration to 264th will be 2 general purpose lanes and 1 HOV from 200 St. We already have 3 general purpose lanes from 232 to 264 East bound so we will actually lose capacity. What an upgrade

jollyburger · #**132** Posted **Sep 6, 2020, 3:34 AM**

Not a fan.

Quote:

Concerns are being raised about the new 216th Street interchange in Langley following a deadly crash Friday morning.

Mark, who didn’t want his last name used, is a Lower Mainland commercial truck driver with more than 25 years of experience. He says he takes this route regularly and the crash isn’t surprising.

“I predicted this would happen yesterday. And today, lo and behold, first week of the change we’ve already got an accident,” he says. “This will repeatedly happen.”

He says the new 216th eastbound merge to Highway 1 is tricky because traffic is merging into fewer lanes.

Essentially, Mark says commercial trucks are instructed to stay in the right-hand lane, but as they travel on a downgrade to the 216th onramp, other vehicles merge ahead of them into the slow lane.

The lane then has to merge again.

“So what’s happening, is truckers can’t get into that lane because the vehicles that are in the new lane because of the expansion are not letting these trucks in,” Mark explains. “The risk is, these trucks are coming down a downgrade, they’re doing 80 (km/h), but you might as well be doing 120 when you weigh 100,000 pounds.”

For safety, speed, and consistency, Marks says commercial transport drivers try to stay in one lane

“This is a critical new infrastructure, [that cost] $61 million, and this merge is an epic failure.”

Mark takes issue with the HOV lane, which he says is likely causing distraction and confusion over which lane a driver is in.

“The 216th onramp should be like any other onramp where it’s just one car moving in, and then the traffic continues to flow. But when you’ve got cars coming from the right, and then that lane needs to merge again, and trucks have to come to dead stops, it’s not working.”

He says he has reached out to Drive BC on the matter, and he’s calling for the BC Trucking Association to look into the problem.

Marks says he’s concerned crashes will continue to happen if the merge stays the same.

According to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, it is aware of the situation and traffic operations team are on-scene observing operations.

“The ministry will conduct an internal review of the traffic management plan for the project to ensure it was being followed as required. As with any new project, the ministry will continue to monitor traffic operation during this effective period. We ask drivers for their patience as this is still an active project, and remind all travellers to follow traffic control signage,” a statement to NEWS 1130 reads.

https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/09/04/highway-1-exchange-problems/

VancouverOfTheFuture · #**133** Posted **Sep 6, 2020, 5:02 AM**

this "upgrade" sounds like a mess.

i don't know enough about the before, proposed, and after to know much about it. but from what i am reading it sounds terrible.

maybe someone who knows the area more can fill in those who dont?

jollyburger · #**134** Posted **Sep 6, 2020, 5:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

this "upgrade" sounds like a mess.

i don't know enough about the before, proposed, and after to know much about it. but from what i am reading it sounds terrible.

maybe someone who knows the area more can fill in those who dont?

I guess they need the widening project east of 216th to finish so that the merging traffic doesn't need to immediately merge back from three lanes to two lanes. It would be fun to see their traffic modeling for the interchange.

Cypherus · #**135** Posted **Sep 6, 2020, 7:26 PM**

For context, Drive BC drone footage basically shows the issue with what are basically 4 east bound lanes (including the 216th east bound merge lane) becoming 2 lanes.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1301720353002061824

WarrenC12 · #**136** Posted **Sep 6, 2020, 11:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cypherus

For context, Drive BC drone footage basically shows the issue with what are basically 4 east bound lanes (including the 216th east bound merge lane) becoming 2 lanes.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1301720353002061824

I can understand how this is an issue, merge in, then 3 lanes becomes 2, but what happens normally when highways drop a lane? Would it happen on the other side of the interchange, somehow?

Metro-One · #**137** Posted **Sep 6, 2020, 11:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I can understand how this is an issue, merge in, then 3 lanes becomes 2, but what happens normally when highways drop a lane? Would it happen on the other side of the interchange, somehow?

The best way for highways to drop a lane or two is at a major interchange / junction as off ramps.

For example with the widening out to 264 the third lane should drop as the eastbound off ramp to 264th. Of course the overpass structures should be built to allow further widening east and the fact that the NDP has switched the proposed third lane from general purpose to HOV does complicate things a little more.

cabotp · #**138** Posted **Sep 7, 2020, 12:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by libtard

So the 3 laning from 202A to 216th is just the addition of an HOV lane. Like I said back at the very beginning of this project, the ultimate configuration to 264th will be 2 general purpose lanes and 1 HOV from 200 St. We already have 3 general purpose lanes from 232 to 264 East bound so we will actually lose capacity. What an upgrade

Of course they could extend the EB HOV from 216 and make it 1 HOV + 3 GP lanes from 232 to 264.

libtard · #**139** Posted **Sep 7, 2020, 12:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cabotp

of course they could extend the eb hov from 216 and make it 1 hov + 3 gp lanes from 232 to 264.

this is not happening for the love of god how many times do i have to say this. Why would they make the configuration 2+1 HOV from 200 - 216, then back to 2 general purpose until 232, then 3 general purpose plus 1 HOV up until 264. It doesn’t make sense. The ultimate configuration from 200 - 264 will be 2 general purpose + 1 HOV

Metro-One · #**140** Posted **Sep 7, 2020, 1:59 AM**

Is it a climbing lane?

Then it should become HOV plus 3 general purpose for that stretch.

Also all this lane expansion was originally going to be general purpose (including 200 to 216) it was the NDP who switched it over to HOV.

Question, what is the lane configuration like westbound on #1 through the 200th interchange?