City of Delta COUNCIL REPORT F.07 Regular Meeting To: Mayor and Council From: Corporate Services Department Date: February 21, 2018 George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project Update The following recommendations have been endorsed by the Acting City Manager. • RECOMMENDATION: THAT copies of this report be provided to: • Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport • Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Member of Parliament for Delta • Chief Bryce Williams, Tsawwassen First Nation • Honourable Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation & Infrastructure • Ravi Kahlon, MLA Delta-North • Ian Paton, MLA Delta-South • Metro Vancouver Board of Directors • Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation • PURPOSE: The purpose of this report is to provide an update on some of the key issues related to the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project (GMTRP), particularly in light of the Province's recent announcement regarding the Pattullo Bridge, and to provide a consolidated summary for Council's information. • BACKGROUND: On February 16, 2018, the BC government announced that it is moving forward with the construction of a $1.38 billion bridge to replace the Pattullo Bridge. This raises some questions regarding the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project, which has been on a five-month hiatus since the Province announced last September that it was undertaking an independent technical review of the crossing. Both projects are badly needed; however, unlike the Pattullo project which is only part-way through the environmental assessment process, the tunnel replacement project is shovel-ready, has received its environmental assessment certificate and has completed the bidding process. Furthermore, in terms of both vehicular and transit traffic, the George Massey Tunnel carries Page 2 of 5 GMTRP Update February 21 , 2018 significantly higher volumes than the Pattullo Bridge (Attachments 'A' and 'B' show the volumes for all the Fraser River crossings). Pending the outcome of the independent review (the report is due this spring), key issues are whether the Province will be able to fund two new crossings, whether it can be done without federal government funding, and whether the GMTRP will be further postponed. A 'do nothing' decision at this time would have significant detrimental economic implications for the entire region, with increasing congestion, travel delays and unreliability hindering traffic movement and economic growth. In addition, the fact remains that the tunnel is seismically vulnerable and, at 60 years old, will soon need significant rehabilitation work to keep it operational. • DISCUSSION: The purpose of this report is to highlight some of the key issues related to the GMTRP; however, to address some of the other issues and questions that are often raised, a list of 'frequently asked questions' has been compiled and is included as Attachment 'C'. (. " Since the last report to Council on the GMTRP in October 2017, new details have emerged c I· regarding project costs. Initial cost projections (shown below) ranged from $3.5 billion (for a new l bridge), to $5.8 billion (to retain the tunnel and construct a new bridge on a new alignment). The financial implications become even clearer when considering that the low bid for the bridge construction came in well below the initial estimate of $3.5 billion at $2.6 billion, placing the bridge as the lowest cost option by a significant margin. Surprisingly, this potential savings of $900 million has not been widely reported. 1 Figure 1 Crossing Option Cost Projections est. $5 .8B est. est. est. $4.3B est. $4.1B $3.5B $3.6B aclual $2 .+6B lowest bid !Ifh=ath 4h=4h6 _!Ifh=ath Bridge Bridge + Existing Tunnel + New Tunnel Exisling Tunnel + Exisling Tunnel --New Tunnel - Bridge on new alignment It is worth noting that an estimated $100 million has already been spent just to get to the point of bridge construction, including $40 million by the Province on technical studies 1 Costs are for the entire project, including construction, engineering, project management, property, utilities, environmental, escalation, risks, contingencies and financing. Page 3 of 5 GMTRP Update February 21, 2018 and assessments, and approximately $20 million each from three private bidders for the project. Sustainable Transportation Traffic congestion is one of the most critical issues at the tunnel today and this has led to criticism that the bridge is a car-centric solution to the problem. What is often overlooked is the fact that Highway 99 is already a major public transit route, carrying more than 10,000 transit riders daily, the highest use of any Fraser River road crossing. With the rapid increase in , (. population south of the Fraser River, the new crossing presents opportunities to create and t ,.I expand transit infrastructure to meet this growth. It bears repeating that the proposed bridge includes $500 million in new transit infrastructure that supports healthier, low-carbon travel choices: • Enhanced Transit and HOV - the new bridge will provide for a dedicated transitiHOV lane in each direction, while relieving peak-period congestion for all traffic. Dedicated transitiHOV lanes between Bridgeport Road in Richmond and Highway 91 in Delta will support increased use of transit and ride-sharing. • Integrated Transit Stops at the Steveston Highway and Highway 17A interchanges and dedicated transit-only ramps at Bridgeport Road and Highway 17 A that will improve the speed and reliability of transit trips. • Ability to accommodate future rapid transit service on the new bridge. Highway Improvements It also bears repeating that the GMTRP is more than a river crossing - the project includes major highway and intersection improvements on both sides of the river to ensure the efficient flow of traffic along Highway 99 and its feeder routes. The Highway 99 corridor is an important component of Canada's Pacific Gateway, with connections to the Canada-U.S. border, the Vancouver International Airport, Roberts Bank, Boundary Bay Airport, port facilities on both sides of the Fraser River, and commercial hubs in Delta, Richmond, Surrey, and Vancouver. Anticipated growth in these areas will result in a doubling of truck traffic in the next 30 years. Protecting the Fraser River and Agricultural Land By virtue of the fact that the bridge is a clear-span structure located along the existing road alignment, impacts to the Fraser River and adjacent farmland are largely avoided. Bridge construction does not involve any in-river works - bridge deck segments would be lifted from barges in the river. Furthermore, the project would result in a net increase in productive agricultural land and includes improvements to existing farmland. By contrast, a new tunnel would be significantly more problematic from an environmental perspective. It would have to be built on a new alignment to keep the existing tunnel functioning during construction and to provide a 'buffer' to protect the existing tunnel. This would require a significant amount of private property acquisition and loss of farmland on both sides of the river. Page 4 of 5 GMTRP Update February 21, 2018 i... Furthermore, an immersed-tube tunnel would require dredging a deep, 150 metre-wide trench through the river bottom, coupled with strengthening of the underlying soils using underwater stone columns and gravel to provide seismic stabili,ty. This would involve a significant disturbance to fish and fish habitat. Alternatively, a bored tunnel would need to be substantially deeper, and therefore longer, than an immersed tube due to'the poor soil conditions. Not only is this technically very challenging, it would add considerably to the project cost and would likely preclude future rapid transit due to the steep grade. Seismic and Safety One of Delta's main concerns regarding the tunnel continues to be around the issue of safety: from its seismic vulnerability, to accident frequency, and emergency response. There are compelling reasons why a bridge is preferable to a tunnel from a safety perspective - not only are accidents more frequent in tunnels and on the approach to tunnels, but they also tend to be more severe and result in more significant injuries and death than accidents on open roads. In terms of emergency response, traffic congestion in the tunnel and on the tunnel approach, combined with the lack of a shoulder lane, make it difficult for first responders to reach accidents. This can cause critical delays in the provision of critical care, and where a fire is involved inside the tunnel, create health and safety concerns for emergency personnel. Although not widely reported, Highway 99 is one of only two lifeline corridors classified as 'critical' for earthquake emergency response in Be (Highway 1 being the other). Separate from Disaster Response Routes, which are for emergency responders only, these lifeline corridors are first priority for transportation infrastructure response and restoration and are essential for mass evacuations. A seismically-deficient structure such as the tunnel would cripple this lifeline corridor in even a moderate earthquake. In terms of seismic concerns, it has been noted in previous reports that it is not technically feasible to upgrade the existing tunnel to meet modern seismic standards. The new bridge will be built to modern seismic standards, designed to withstand a 1-in-2475-year seismic event, and the major overpasses along Highway 99 will also be seismically upgraded. Building a tunnel to the same standards is a prohibitively more costly, complex and environmentally invasive process. Implications: Financial Implications - there are no financial implications associated with this report. Page 5 of 5 GMTRP Update February 21, 2018 • CONCLUSION: An update of the cost implications of the GMTRP and an overview of the key issues around the project are provided for Council's information. Staff will continue to look for opportunities to elevate Delta's concerns and advocate for the GMTRP, and will keep Council apprised of new developments. Sean McGill Director of Corporate Services Department submission prepared by: Bernita Iversen, Manager of Corporate Policy F:\8ernita\Tunnel\2018\CRupdate.docx • ATTACHMENTS: A.