Recently the Transportation Minister Rob Fleming provided an update on the long-awaited replacement for the 62-year-old George Massey Tunnel connecting Richmond (Vancouver) and Delta on Highway 99: a new 8-lane immersed-tube tunnel will provide a toll-free crossing of the Fraser River. The tunnel will be in operation in 2030, with the cost estimated at around EUR2.80 (CAD4.15) billion. 

Two options were presented in the business case – an eight-lane tunnel and eight-lane bridge. Both options were given serious consideration. The tunnel was chosen as the best option, because it: 

• best meets regional vision/interests, as endorsed by the Metro Vancouver Board;   
• limits any new visual, noise, shading and lighting impacts over the life of the structure; 
• has the fewest impacts to agricultural land and will not introduce new navigational restrictions to the Fraser River; 
• allows for work to start immediately on the bottleneck areas of the Highway 99 corridor; 
• best facilitates the movement of trucks and cyclists with a much lower overall elevation change; and 
• provides protection from inclement weather for everyone who uses this crossing.  

The next step is to initiate the environmental assessment process, including ongoing engagement with Indigenous peoples and preparing for procurement. In the interim the Province will begin this fall improvements to transit and cycling infrastructure along Highway 99, as work on the new Steveston Interchange, which will be completed in 2025.  

Transportation Investment Corporation will lead the delivery of the George Massey Crossing Project on behalf of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and will provide the controls, practices and other oversight essential for this complex project. 

Click here for Technical-Briefing information and here for the tunnelbuilder archive reports and visit https://news.gov.bc.ca/ and http://www.masseytunnel.ca/. 34/21.