Bridge Added to Improve Traffic Flow in Surrey, BC
18 November 2004
Bridge Added to Improve Traffic Flow in Surrey, BC
The following press release is available in its entirety on the Transport Canada web site, at http://www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/releases/nat/2004/04-h106e.htm.
Industry Minister David L. Emerson, on behalf of Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre, along with British Columbia Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon, today [17 November] announced that work to improve the movement of people and goods to and from Lower Mainland border crossings will begin next month with the construction of a new parallel bridge to increase the capacity of the Roger Pierlet Bridge on Highway 15, just south of Cloverdale.
West Shore Constructors Ltd., of North Vancouver, has been awarded the $8.4-million contract to design and build a concrete bridge parallel to the existing bridge, which was built in 1973. The new bridge will carry two lanes of southbound traffic and will allow for the relocation of the existing rail line from the intersection of Highway 10 and 15, to run under the new bridge….
"This work, along with other improvements to Highway 15, will provide for a continuous four-lane corridor from the Trans-Canada Highway to the Canada-U.S. border," said Mr. Falcon. "Better links between border crossings will improve efficiency and safety for travellers and the trucking industry and improve British Columbia's competitiveness."
No major traffic disruptions are anticipated.
The new bridge is expected to be completed by July 2006. It is part of an important transportation infrastructure project in Surrey to widen Highway10 and 15 to four lanes between 32nd Avenue and 88th Avenue and to widen Highway 10 to four lanes between 122nd Street and 172nd Street….
In 2001, the Government of Canada announced the $600 million Border Infrastructure Fund to support increased efficiency at Canada's borders. The fund is a comprehensive approach towards sustaining and increasing the long-term safety and efficiency of the Canada-U.S. border. The two central objectives of the Border Infrastructure Fund are to support the Smart Border Action Plan by reducing congestion, and to expand existing infrastructure capacity over the medium term to support growth. The program is being implemented in cooperation with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, academic and research institutes, and with partners from the public and private sectors on both sides of the border.