Richmond - The Editor, The provincial Ministry of Transportation has just erected a sign on Highway 99 announcing a $2 million project to upgrade the Highway 99/Steveston Highway off-ramp.
Richmond - The Editor, The provincial Ministry of Transportation has just erected a sign on Highway 99 announcing a $2 million project to upgrade the Highway 99/Steveston Highway off-ramp.When I contacted the City of Richmond's transportation department, they knew nothing about it. I later found out that the ministry plans to create two lanes to exit Highway 99 northbound on the north end of the Massey Tunnel so traffic can then merge back into one lane again at Steveston Highway.This plan only moves traffic congestion from one point to another. If the ministry would just consult with the City of Richmond, it could have spent that $2 million actually achieving something, instead of wasting more taxpayer money. In the time it took to erect the sign and update the website, the ministry has reduced the cost to $1.2 million; what happened to $800,000? Back in the 1950s, when the Deas Island/Massey Tunnel was planned, there was talk about an offramp at the north side of Steveston Highway to loop back onto Steveston Highway.This plan would have eliminated the light on Steveston Highway at the current off-ramp and allow for much better traffic flow, and is a far better use of the $2 million.Another option is to use the redundant Rice Mill Road highway overpass by connecting Rice Mill Road to Steveston Highway, which would allow traffic to avoid the No. 5 Road and Steveston Highway interchange all together. Alternatively, one of the new double exit lanes could loop back to Rice Mill Road and, again, reduce pressure on Steveston Highway and No. 5 Road. This is also a better use of the $2 million.We need smart people making smart decisions, based on consultation with the City of Richmond and the people affected by these decisions.Taxpayers dollars are at stake and this government needs to know we are fed up with living with poorly thought-out decisions and demand more cooperation between the province, the federal government and the city.We need to make the province listen and learn.Carol DayRichmond
