Department of Transport Announces Border ...
22 November 2002
Department of Transport Announces Border Crossing Initiatives in British Columbia
On 19 November Transport Minister David Collenette announced funding of $30.4 million for 11 border crossing transportation initiatives in the B.C. Lower Mainland area as part of the Government of Canada’s Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP).
The Government of Canada will contribute $14.1 million to the projects, and the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation will contribute $16.3 million.
The following projects will receive joint funding under the Canada/British Columbia SHIP agreement:
1. $7.2 million to expand 8th Avenue from two to four lanes. This road serves as the access/exit road to the Pacific Highway, B.C./Blaine, Washington border crossing for all commercial vehicles from Highway 99.
2. $8.6 million to improve the interchange at 8th Avenue/Highway 99. This interchange attracts high volumes of commercial traffic due to its proximity to the Pacific Highway, B.C./Blaine, Washington border crossing.
3. $1 million to improve the 8th Avenue/Highway 15 intersection. This intersection also attracts high volumes of commercial traffic due to its proximity to the Pacific Highway, B.C./Blaine, Washington border crossing.
4. $1.8 million for construction of an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)/Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO)/Free and Secure Trade Program (FAST) truck lane on Highway 15. This project will provide ITS equipped commercial vehicles with a dedicated southbound lane on Highway 15 at the Pacific Highway, B.C./Blaine, Washington crossing.
5. $500,000 for Highway 15 ITS/CVO system enhancements. This project consists of database software development and communications work to enable data sharing between the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia on vehicles, drivers and loads. This project will increase the volume of pre-processed cross-border commercial vehicles from Canada to the U.S., and vice versa, thereby reducing traffic congestion.
6. $4.2 million for Highway 15/88th Avenue intersection improvements. To address traffic congestion at this intersection, a second through traffic lane, as well as left-turn bays, will be added to all approaches. The project will also involve widening shoulders and increasing corner radii on all approaches, and elevating the road surface to control flooding.
7. $300,000 for construction of a dedicated southbound commuter lane on Highway 15 (Pacific Highway crossing), to be used by NEXUS-registered drivers. This program allows participants to move quickly across borders using dedicated lanes, although they are subject to random checks, once they have passed a rigorous security screening process.
8. $700,000 for Highway 99 (Peace Arch crossing) NEXUS lane extension. Highway 99 southbound has a dedicated commuter lane for a bi-national, low-risk program for travellers who frequently cross the border. The project consists of extending the existing lane by approximately 700 metres.
9. $1.6 million for conducting a corridor management plan, and construction of a truck climbing lane on Highway 13 (Aldergrove, B.C./Lyndon, Washington crossing). The truck climbing lane will alleviate northbound traffic congestion on the highway, which exists largely due to a steep incline on the Canadian side of the border crossing.
10. $2 million for construction of a commercial vehicle staging area on Highway 11. Currently, U.S. bound commercial drivers who have not completed their customs brokerage documents must stop on the Canadian side of the Huntingdon, B.C./Sumas, Washington border crossing before proceeding to U.S. Customs. As a result, access to the border crossing is frequently blocked. The staging area would reduce or eliminate blockages to the crossing.
11. $1.6 million for an Advanced Traveller Information System at the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway border crossing in Surrey, B.C. This project will provide travellers and commercial carriers with delay information