City council was asked by Richmond’s director of transportation, Victor Wei, to address concerns his department has with regards to a proposed free-flowing interchange at Steveston Highway and Highway 99, as part of the Massey Tunnel Replacement Project.
But his call to send a letter to the Ministry of Transportation about such concerns was not unanimously endorsed.
Coun. Alexa Loo opposed the motion at a committee meeting Oct. 3.
Part of Wei’s concerns had to do with a large, walled ramp being built next to The Gardens condo development. He wants the Ministry to incorporate a “green wall” to reduce the visual impact.
Loo objected, stating that such a request is the sort of thing that drives up costs for projects and costs are already a concern for this one in particular.
Wei also voiced concerns about the width of the new highway, noting there was lots of dead space between some lanes. Loo said extra shoulder room adds a measure of safety.
The motion at committee also called on council to reconfirm its “significant concerns regarding the proposed bridge.”
Unlike the rest of council, Loo and Coun. Ken Johnston support the project overall, although Johnston voted in favour of this particular motion.
Wei also raised concerns related to the air quality and safety of bus passengers waiting at the transit exchange, which is situated in the middle of a 12-lane freeway with seven lanes passing above.
The passengers will access the bus stops via an elevator in the middle of the freeway. To get to the stop, passengers will walk under and through the interchange, sometimes using tunnels.
The project’s planners previously told the Richmond News measures will be taken to ensure pedestrian safety.
Wei noted the bridge will be suspended from two towers 210-metres tall, or equivalent to a 60-storey building. Along with new BC Hydro transmission lines, the city, as well as most councillors, have expressed concerns about the visual impact of the project.
Wei noted at least one positive part of the project, that being the Rice Mill Road on- and off-ramps, which will allow truck traffic headed to and from Ironwood industrial parks to avoid the No. 5 Road and Steveston Highway intersection.
Wei maintained that the proposed 10-lane bridge, estimated to cost $3.5 billion, fails to incorporate regional transportation planning into the equation.
Additionally, Mayor Malcolm Brodie has questioned the financial model as well, granted the bridge will cost more than the Port Mann Bridge.
The motion also reiterated concerns about the immediate loss of agricultural land, including 17 per cent of a nearby municipal park.
Coun. Harold Steves reiterated his opinion that the bridge is being built to assist shipping up river and that it will open the lower Fraser Valley farmland to redevelopment — notions denied by Minister of Transportation Todd Stone.
