Expo Line - Surrey Langley Extension: Planning & Pre-Construction

[GMasterAres]

Originally Posted by scottN

I think that it's advantageous to put the construction of the whole line to tender in a single contract. To do that the high level design for the entire project needs to be completed to the point where bidders know what they are bidding on.

You can still phase a single contract. I do it all the time.

[GMasterAres]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

152nd and Fraser Highway has 4 lots that will need to be acquired for construction and access. Assessed is near $8 mil all together, however you can imagine the asking is about 4x because of the assumed redevelopment potential.

160th looks like it would require that too. They can't ask though 4x. The government would likely apply expropriation of the land which they legally have a right to do. That would mean the land owner would be compensated for the market value of the property not future potential. Typically it is around assessed value. They do have a right to submit for compensation above market value but it isn't a guarantee.

[xd_1771]

Originally Posted by jhausner

I also think 2025/2026 was always advertised as being phase 1 to 168th street. They would have a few options to either open that stretch a bit early while they finish up the remainder to Langley, or delay opening the whole route to Langley to 2028.

If you ask me I think there's a bit of spin to the whole POV coming out that the SLS is "not delayed" because 2025 was a timeline for the first phase, and I can see why they're doing that.

My personal view however is that a 2025 opening (for the full 16 km) was pretty much a serious possibility, and on the TransLink-side was basically on track (sans the provincial and federal funding for Fleetwood-Langley), until the pandemic happened.

First, we know that before the pandemic TL was pushing to get the whole line funded, as even the CEO believed a 2025 opening for the full 16km to be a serious possibility:

“If we can get the full funding and do this as a continuous project, it will be less expensive than doing it as two completely separate projects over the years, and you can get to Langley in the same period of time by 2025,” said Desmond today during an Urban Development Institute seminar.

Full 16-km-long SkyTrain to Langley should be built in one phase: TransLink CEO on Daily Hive Van

Second, I distinctly recall that for much of 2019, the expectation (at least in the Board and Mayors' Council reports) was that a finalized (so not draft) business case for the full extension (Phase 1 to Fleetwood and Phase 2 to Langley City) was set to be finished in June or July 2020, and then sent to the provincial and federal governments around that time.

Of course, the pandemic happened, so that business case basically didn't get finished on time, and fare revenue dried up meaning TransLink as a whole had to pause everything related to future investment. But that's fine, because while the project was in whatever limbo, the provincial election of 2020 happened, and the provincial government committed to funding the whole line. With the announcement of this year we now have both the provincial and federal governments committing to the line even with an increased capital cost.

It seems that the pandemic has allowed us to get the political (funding) aspect of the line figured out, but at the cost of the opening date for a full extension being set to 2028, because of whatever internal mumbo jumbo is preventing us from going to procurement.

I think speeding things up is still a serious possibility (i.e. whatever contractor ends up bidding might be able to offer a faster timeline). There's also the possibility of a phased opening whilst having that single construction contract for the whole line (as was done for the Millennium Line in 2002).

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by xd_1771

...I think speeding things up is still a serious possibility (i.e. whatever contractor ends up bidding might be able to offer a faster timeline). There's also the possibility of a phased opening whilst having that single construction contract for the whole line (as was done for the Millennium Line in 2002).

Yes, it would be advantageous if they could have multiple crews building the stations (and guideway immediately adjacent to them) while other crews build the main guideway, starting from King George and working their way east.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

Yes, it would be advantageous if they could have multiple crews building the stations (and guideway immediately adjacent to them) while other crews build the main guideway, starting from King George and working their way east.

can the gantry they use to build the guide-way go over/through the stations that are partially built though? i am not sure what they did with the Canada-Line.

[Diegotheartist1]

Despite some of you are kind disappointed over the target completion date moved from 2025 to 2028, I was kind of expecting something like that to happen, because the 2025 date was originally meant for the Fleetwood phase of the Fraser Extension. We know that when plans do change, so does the schedule when major construction starts and the target completion date, in this case, doing a single construction phase at once instead of two (similar to the Surrey Extensions in the 90s). Although I would've prefer Fleetwood to open first before continuing to Langley City, but it would probably be costly.

Major Construction is set to begin around 2024, so basically the engineers and planners have enough time to layout and tweak all the technical stuff before turning this concept into reality.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

can the gantry they use to build the guide-way go over/through the stations that are partially built though? i am not sure what they did with the Canada-Line.

Stations are usually just built around/on top of (case-specific) the post-tensioned guideway segments, so the gantry needs to go through first.
... but they can start from 2 or more different fronts. The Millennium line had several gantries working at the same time, but those were typically separated by a "special structure" (ie a steel box girder (not post-tensioned concrete) for a long span like at Braid.

[logicbomb]

Fraser Highway closure between 96th Ave and 148th St was supposed to last until October 1, 2021. Initially was supposed to see full competition by November 1, 2021, now we may not be looking at full competition until late Spring 2022. No real reason as to why this simple project is going to take way longer than expected but I guess that's just the way things go with road projects around here.

Soft opening on the road (1 lane each way) maybe by mid November.

[Diegotheartist1]

Update on Fraser Highway: Lanes have been paved, and it appears that there is a median strip, presumably for the future guideway. Also I'm not sure about this leftover asphalt on the left...

[Klazu]

Is this the section through Green Timbers? The lane alignment makes no sense. Why couldn't they have a bay for the busses to stop? Is that really just 1 lane through on the right side? The excess space on left side could have fit 2+2 through lanes, the bus bay and the left-turn lane. Who designs this stuff??

[Diegotheartist1]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Is this the section through Green Timbers?

Yes. Also that extra lane is to be unused until the guideway along green timbers is assembled on the median, which is currently occupied by the old power lines. I just walked on the road, and took a couple of pictures.

[Klazu]

This section was supposed to be expanded to full 2+2 through lanes. Is that not happening? It's really hard to tell from the low-resolution picture.

[SpongeG]

it's really not that busy, people wanting to go east to west or vice versa would use 96th. Fraser hwy is a little awkard at best.

[madog222]

Is the plan to have all 4 lanes open before the guideway construction?

I would think they would wait until the guideway is in place before completing the new roadway.

[DKaz]

Page 12 - Looks like the 4 laning will be complete after the guideway has been constructed.

https://www.surreylangleyskytrain.ca/-/m...ent/phase-3-public-engagement-boards.pdf

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by DKaz

Page 12 - Looks like the 4 laning will be complete after the guideway has been constructed.

https://www.surreylangleyskytrain.ca/-/m...ent/phase-3-public-engagement-boards.pdf

They are widening now and leaving an unfinished median. Seems like that would give them more flexibility when they are building the guideway and if they have to close lanes etc.

On September 14, 2020, Council approved Corporate Report No. R140; 2020 (attached as Appendix “I”) including an optimized four-lane Fraser Highway widening design between 140 Street and 148 Street through Green Timbers. The design establishes two lanes of travel in each direction in one of the most congested corridors in the City and an unfinished central median as Early Works to allow for the establishment of the future Surrey-Langley Skytrain (“SLS”) guideway installation.

https://www.surrey.ca/sites/default/files/corporate-reports/CR_2021-R146.pdf

[Diegotheartist1]

Here are some pictures:

[Migrant_Coconut]

Looks to me like four lanes all the way down. No problem.

[Klazu]

Thanks for the photos. I only keep wondering about the red bus bay and weather that is a general purpose lane there at the intersection. I guess the reason for the wide shoulder on the first picture is that being a place where the guideway cross from running in the median to running on the side.

[cganuelas1995]

Holy 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 resolution dude. Resize those.