An anonymous letter dropped off at his office had South Delta MLA Ian Paton asking if technical issues are delaying work on the Fraser River Tunnel.
However, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit says there are no such problems.
The letter claims to have, “first-hand knowledge of significant design problems currently delaying the advancement of the project.”
The contractor is “struggling to determine a viable construction method,” Paton said in the legislature April 7, quoting from the letter.
Paton also asked Minister of Transportation and Transit Mike Farnworth why the province refused federal funding for the tunnel.
Farnworth though said the province hasn’t refused any funding saying the province is working with the federal government, “to ensure that B.C. gets a significant financial contribution in what is a nation-building project.
“There’s significant work underway,” Farnworth said.
According to the ministry in a later statement, there are no technical issues with the project.
“The assertion that the Fraser River Tunnel Project’s contractor is ‘struggling to determine a viable construction method’ is simply untrue,” the ministry said by email April 10.
The ministry said that the provincial team did “extensive” work to ensure it was possible to build a tunnel, before the contractor was selected.
“The contractor’s team, which includes immersed tunnel experts from around the world, has also confirmed the (constructability) of the project and is moving ahead on the detailed design,” said the email.
As well, engineering and investigation is underway to refine the design "in advance of construction scheduled to get underway in 2026."
The province has been criticized for supposedly not accepting a multi-million dollar offer of financial assistance for the new tunnel last year from Ottawa.
The ministry though says it hasn’t received either a formal verbal or written offer.
The new Fraser River Tunnel is expected to be built by 2030, replacing the George Massey Tunnel.
