On Jan. 19 at the Holiday Inn & Suites in North Vancouver, a public open house was held regarding the proposed Highway 1 at Mountain Highway Interchange Project. The project involves upgrading the existing Mountain Highway overpass to a full interchange.
I have been working on this major infrastructure project for more than five years and it has been the number- one issue in the riding. The Lower Lynn Corridor Improvement Project includes constructing the Fern Street and Dollarton interchanges and will improve safety, efficiency and east-west traffic flow along the stretch of Highway 1 between Mountain Highway and the Second Narrows Bridge, one of the biggest bottleneck areas in the Lower Mainland. This improvement will also include construction of a new pedestrian/ cyclist/ emergency vehicle structure over Highway 1, the Crown Street overpass.
The Mountain Highway Interchange is Phase 1 and is undergoing detailed design. Phase 2, Lillooet Road Interchange, is in a functional design stage, while Phase 3, Dollarton Highway, is in preliminary stakeholder discussions. The total project cost is $150 million.
The Highway 1 at Mountain Interchange Project includes: Four ramps; a new, wider structure with signalized intersections; and realignment of Mountain Highway to Brooksbank Avenue at Keith Road. Here are some of the benefits of the new interchanges:
■ Improved municipal connections making it faster and easier for drivers to reach their communities.
■ Less merging and weaving, improving traffic flow and reducing traffic incidents.
■ Cycling and walking facilities on Mountain Highway and Keith Road will be improved to promote alternate modes of transportation.
■ Environmental and drainage enhancements will improve fish and wildlife habitat in the area.
■ Better access to Phibbs Exchange.
Project status:
■ Functional design - complete
■ Detailed design - in progress
■ Construction starting - summer 2016
■ Scheduled completion - March 2018
You can provide your feedback until Feb. 5 at [email protected], or visit the website: gov.bc.ca/lowerlynninterchanges.
These improvements are part of the province’s On the Move Initiative, a new 10-year plan for the improvement of the province’s transportation network.
Learn more about what is happening in our riding of North Vancouver-Seymour by subscribing to my monthly MLA report at janethornthwaitemla.bc.ca/subscribe. Contact me at [email protected], 604-983-9852, on Facebook at facebook.com/jane.thornthwaite, on Twitter at @jthornthwaite, or stop by my constituency office.
