A new lane on Highway 99 on the Richmond side of the George Massey Tunnel will soon open, but it will be for buses only.
A Ministry of Transportation spokesperson confirmed the bus-only lane is set to open in midAugust, enabling northbound buses on Highway 99 in Richmond to bypass traffic congestion.
It extends from Westminster Highway to Bridgeport Road, a distance of 2.8 kilometres.
Not even cars with multiple occupants will be permitted to use the lane.
The province says the $4.7 million project is part of a larger plan called RapidBus BC, which will eventually carry transit commuters from White Rock to the Canada Line station in Richmond.
On another transit front, Mayor Lois Jackson, who chairs the Metro Vancouver board of directors, recently voted against funding options endorsed by a majority of regional district mayors for the proposed Evergreen Line rapid transit line and other transit improvements.
Saying TransLink is already shortchanging Delta residents, Jackson said they wouldn't be happy about a proposed $23 hike on their property tax bill.
The transit plan, which features additions including a B-line service on King George Boulevard in Surrey, also has a two-cent per litre gas tax increase. Jackson said the gas tax is enough to pay for the rapid transit line.
TransLink is bringing the plan back to the public for comment and the mayors are to vote on final approval this fall.
