Dear Editor,
The current political debate over the new George Massey Tunnel replacement bridge is disturbing.
The current traffic delays at the tunnel need fixing now. A bridge is now under construction that will alleviate, when complete, all these delays for the foreseeable future. I really don’t care if it’s a tunnel or a bridge as long as a timely solution is completed.
Governments are not known for timely action.
First, we would have to settle the community debate whether to put a tunnel at Nelson Rd. or Deas Island.
Then we have to design and likely hold more public hearings.
Then we have to prepare construction drawings. Maybe we’ll start construction of a tunnel before the bridge under construction would be complete.
It’s unlikely that a new tunnel would provide six additional lanes to give us the capacity of the new bridge, so we will still have less capacity.
Of course, the existing tunnel is far below seismic standards of a new bridge or tunnel. Therefore, it is likely that we’d then start on seismic upgrades to the existing tunnel, or perhaps a complete replacement of said tunnel.
I can easily see it being another 10 years of delays entering/leaving Richmond southbound before we have the capacity and traffic flow the bridge under construction would provide.
Bob Garnett
Richmond
