Reactions to Wednesday’s announcement to replace the George Massey Tunnel with another tunnel was met with relief from the business community, some concerns from environmentals – and a reminder that a previously planned bridge would have been finished long before shovels hit the dirt on the current plan.
Richmond Chamber of Commerce CEO Dan Baxter said, while the chamber would have preferred a bridge as it would have been completed faster, the eight-lane tunnel announcement Wednesday was nevertheless a “step in the right direction.”
“Obviously the people in Richmond and people in the region need to have expanded capacity on that route because it is such a bottleneck for business and people,” Baxter added.
The province was weighing two options – an eight-lane bridge or an eight-lane immersed tube tunnel, and they landed on the latter.
The bridge would have been completed by 2028, while the tunnel, with a longer environmental assessment period, is expected to be built by 2030.
But a previous BC Liberal plan for a larger bridge, scrapped by the NDP in 2017, would have been the ideal option, Baxter added.
“The 10-lane bridge would have been the ultimate preferred choice just because that version of the bridge would have been more forward, future looking in terms of... capacity to grow,” Baxter said.
In regards to whether the new tunnel could meet the needs of moving people and goods into the longer future, Baxter was concerned that the region might be “in this boat again sooner rather than later.”
After the announcement about the tunnel replacement project, former BC Liberal candidate and current Richmond city Coun. Alexa Loo pointed out on Twitter that the original 10-lane bridge, announced in 2013, would have been completed by 2023.
“Announcement for 8 lane Massey tunnel! Construction to begin in 2025 - two years after the bridge would have been opened,” she tweeted on Wednesday.
However, Richmond city council opposed the 10-lane bridge option, which included a large cloverleaf interchange at Steveston Highway and encroachment into farmland.
The current plan is to more than double the Steveston overpass, which is often congested during rush hour, but the cloverleaf is off the table.
Fraser Voices, a Richmond-based environmental group was pleased with Wednesday’s announcement to replace the George Massey Tunnel with an eight-lane immersed tube tunnel as they opposed the original plan to build a bridge.
But Otto Langer, Fraser Voices spokesperson, is worried the new crossing will put pressure to develop south of the Fraser, which could result in a loss of farmland and open spaces.
