It looks like a new eight-lane immersed tunnel could be coming to alleviate the traffic headaches at the aging George Massey Tunnel.
The Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Task Force today endorsed a recommendation to the province to have that type of crossing built among a number of options considered.
Delta Mayor George Harvie voted in favour with only Tsawwassen First Nation Chief Ken Baird opposed.
The recommendation comes after the province presented the task force technical evaluations on the six shortlisted options, which included deep-bored and immersed-tube tunnels as well as six or eight-lane bridges.
Public consultations are scheduled to begin this fall and the province is to prepare a business case by the end of 2020, but there’s no timeline when the new crossing, which would have a longer assessment, will be built.
“I strongly support and have spoken in favour of ensuring that we get back to the province with one option. That’s what they challenged us for and the longer that we keep discussing this, the worse traffic will get and its impact on our community,” Harvie told the Optimist.
Delta Mayor George Harvie formed a mayors' group to get consensus on the need to replace the existing tunnel and the Metro chair later formed a mayors' task force
A report to the task force notes the immersed-tube six or eight lane tunnel options are moderately challenging as they would require around one kilometre of tunnel, a large staging area and removal of 1.5 million cubic meters of salt-contaminated soil during construction.
“These options would have the greatest environmental impact during construction as the approaches would require excavation on both sides of the river and the river bottom trenched to hold the tunnel. Ground densification for seismic resistance would be required over the full length of the tunnel length including within the river….The environmental assessment is expected to be the most complex due to the in-river and riverbank work. Construction would be limited around a six-month window each year and would likely require two or more construction seasons. Costs are not yet available but are expected to be similar to a bridge crossing,” the report explains.
The Green-backed NDP government last year said the previous Liberal government's 10-lane bridge project did not fully address a number of key considerations, such as community alignment, livability and cost
As far as the deep-bored six or eight lane tunnel options, the report noted they are technically challenging and are assessed as high risk. Costs are also not yet available, but those options are estimated to be about three times more expensive than the immersed-tube tunnel and the bridge options.
The environmental assessment for a six or eight lane bridge was expected to be the least complex.
Deas Island Regional Park would be impacted during and after construction and the park would be impacted by the traffic noise, lights and shade of the bridge.
“This impact will extend to the river and some nearby communities, particularly in Delta,” the report notes.
Saying they had a very good presentation from the technical team, Harvie said the last thing he wants is to impact Delta communities.
“The problem I had was the dramatic affect it was going to have on the Captain’s Cove/Marina Gardens Estate development and the existing River House residential development with shading, the visual, the noise. For that reason I support the immersed tunnel because it will have less impact on my community. I said I would not turn my back on the Delta residents that live there,” he added.
As far using the existing 60-year-old tunnel once a new crossing is built, the report notes with regular maintenance and rehabilitation, it has approximately 50 years of serviceable life remaining.
However, it does not meet current seismic standards for new or improved infrastructure.
Based on feedback from the George Massey Crossing Task Force, the provincial project team considered using the existing tunnel for either a multi-use path and as a utility crossing, two of its lanes dedicated for transit and as a utility crossing, or as utilities crossing only.
The existing tunnel would also require additional flood protection around entrances and the cost would substantial, while TransLink has expressed opposition to using the existing tunnel for transit purposes, citing the additional transit travel time required.
The task force’s recommendation still has to go to the Metro board and eventually the province will make the final decision.
Late last year Transportation Minister Claire Trevena and consultant Stan Cowdell announced the previous Liberal government’s George Massey Tunnel Replace Project, a $3.5 billion, 10-lane span, was officially dead.
- Sandor Gyarmati, Delta Optimist
