Appendix(2*I(–(Written(Submissions( ( ! ! Dec(18,(2012( Ironically,!I!was!unable!to!attend!tonight!as!a!result!of!spending!90!minutes!driving!from!Surrey! to!Richmond!this!morning!due!to!the!snowfall.!As!a!general!rule,!I!travel!to!Richmond!via!the! Alex!Fraser!Bridge!because!of!the!capacity!constraint!called!the!George!Massey!Tunnel.!Traffic! congestion!is!apparent!throughout!a!larger!percentage!of!each!day.!It!is!likely!that!near!gridlock! from!dawn!to!dusk!will!become!a!chronic!condition!of!Highway!99!within!the!foreseeable!future.! The!replacement!of!the!existing!tunnel!with!a!sixGlane!structure!might!relieve!the!congestion!for! a!while,!particularly!if!the!Stevenson!and!River/Ladner!Trunk!Road!access!issues!are! simultaneously!addressed.!However,!such!a!fix!is!likely!to!be!temporary!in!nature!(like!the! twinning!of!Highway!10)!due!to!the!continued!population!growth!along!the!Surrey!–!Langley! corridor,!the!limited!number!of!routes!across!the!Fraser!River!and!the!exceedingly!poor!public! transit!system!south!of!the!Fraser!River.!The!only!way!for!area!residents!to!realistically!travel!to! work!or!school!is!via!automobile.!Short!of!banning!future!housing!developments!east!of!Delta,! the!replacement!of!the!local!tunnel!by!itself!is!only!a!temporary!fix.! The!transportation!network!must!be!treated!as!an!integrated!system,!a!fact!was!apparent!today.! Snowfall!resulted!in!accidents!on!the!Pattullo!and!Queensborough!bridges,!creating!gridlock! across!the!Fraser!River.!Drivers!redirected!their!vehicles!along!Highways!10!and!99,!creating! dozens!of!kilometers!of!congestion!leading!north!up!to!the!George!Massey!Tunnel.! Congestion,!besides!being!an!inconvenience!for!motorists,!has!serious!economic!consequences! for!the!Lower!Mainland.!The!replacement!of!the!Tunnel!should!be!part!of!a!larger!integrated! transportation!plan!that!includes!a!major!expansion!of!light!commuter!rail!south!of!the!Fraser! River.! ! ! Dec(18,(2012( HI!George!Massey!Tunnel!Replacement!Consultation!Representative.!Please!accept!the!email,! which!directly!follows!this!preamble!as!part!of!the!!consultation.!In!addition,!the!tunnel! replacement!should!remain!in!more!or!less!same!!geographic!location!as!the!existing!tunnel!in! order!to!preserve!community!delineations!and!the!basic!municipal!road!framework.!These!roads! should!have!increased!capacity!as!well.!It!is!good!to!maintain!a!fair!distance!from!!the!Alex! Fraser!Bridge.!Alternate!routes!should!not!be!in!close!proximity.!Overall,!it!may!be!thought!that! bridges!are!safer!than!tunnels.!Arguably,!!one!cannot!jump!off!a!tunnel,!but!tunnels!have!far! more!confined!spaces.!In!general,!stewarding!the!environment!is!important.!The!environmental! !concerns!surrounding!a!tunnel!replacement!should!be!minimal.!Currently,!the!!contribution!of! idling!vehicles!in!terms!of!the!release!of!greenhouse!gases!!to!the!atmosphere!is!not!insignificant.! Thanks!for!your!consideration.!Registered!owner!of!a!strip!of!Richmond!ALR!land!and!one!who! has!a!deep!!interest!in!innovative!urban!agriculture!!! ! ! ! GGGGG!Original!Message!GGGGG!!! From:!NAME!REMOVED! To:!NAME!REMOVED! Sent:!Friday,!October!05,!2012!12:54!PM!! Subject:!the!George!Massey!Tunnel!replacement/retrofitGGGcommercial!traffic! !!! [FIRST!SENTENCE!REMOVED!FOR!PRIVACY!REASONS]!!The!congestion!not!only!affects! commutersGGGGGit!impacts!commercial!vehicles.!When!these!vehicles!are!not!flowing!smoothly! thorough!the!road!network,!it!is!a!detriment!to!our!economy.!!Adding!light!rapid!transit!or!other! public!transit!does!little!to!help!transport!trucks,!container!transit,!trucks!carrying!equipment! such!as!cement!mixers!etc.!make!the!crossing.!Commercial!vehicles!constitute!a!fair!proportion! of!the!traffic.!!Port!Metro!!should!be!consulted,!as!they!could!contribute! some!funding,!Riverport!is!nearby,!and!the!tunnel!is!a!vital!transportation!link,!!not!merely!of! people!but!of!goods.!!!Also,!animals,!with!the!exception!of!service!dogs!and!"persona;"!pets,! !including!those!associated!with!farming!are!not!moved!from!A!to!point!B!by!public!transit.!!!It! should!be!a!priority!to!address!the!problem.!Time!is!money.!!!Many!thanks.!!Have!a!good! Thanksgiving!long!weekend.!!!! NAME!REMOVED!! P.S.!The!population!of!the!region!is!only!expected!to!rise.!Even!if!a!higher!percentage!of! commuters!adopt!public!transit,!the!number!of!"cars"!using!the!tunnel!or!its!replacement!is!not! anticipated!to!decrease.!!!!PP.P.S.!Whether!the!replacement!for!the!George!Massey!Tunnel!is!a! bridge!or!another!tunnel!or!expanded!capacity!(be!it!in!about!the!same!location!or!not),!it!is!ill! advised!to!allow!fuel!tankers!in!the!South!Arm!of!the!Fraser!River,!especially!with!respect!to!the! Vancouver!Airport!Fuel!Delivery!Pipeline!Proposal.!Seismic!risks!have!to!be!taken!into!account.! ! ! Dec(18,(2012( I!have!been!doing!a!lot!of!thinking!since!the!meeting.! !! I!suggest!KEEP!THE!PRESENT!TUNNEL.!Upgrade!the!lighting!and!ventilation,!which!you!told!us,! needs!to!be!done.!Restrict!the!tunnel!to!cars,!buses,!and!small!trucks.!! !! GENERATE!A!SEPARATE!PLAN!FOR!LARGE!TRUCKS!building!what!is!necessary!regionally.! !! Promote!the!concept!of!many!small!value!per!hit!tolls!in!many!places!on!roads.in!the!region.!Get! behind!expanding!transit!to!make!more!rides!faster!and!more!cost!effective.! !! ! Dec(18,(2012( Property!acquisition,!engineering!and!construction!would!be!far!less!costly!and!less!disruptive! than!a!bridge!such!as!the!Alex!Fraser!Bridge.!!The!Tunnel!should!have!had!another!4!lane!!!tube! at!least!30!years!ago!to!keep!up!with!the!South!Fraser!developments!foreseen!by!the!forward! thinking!men!in!Government!60!years!ago.!!Earthquake!engineering!would!protect!or!replace! the!existing!tubes.!!The!design!and!functionality!of!the!eastGside!tunnel!system!in!Seattle!would! be!an!incentive!to!get!going!now!without!redGtape!delays!and!PR!posturing.! ! ! ( ( Dec(18,(2012( Thanks!for!the!reminder.!!I!did!provide!feedback,!namely,!that!it!makes!one!cynical!that!the! MoTI!is!so!coordinated,!competent,!and!motivated!when!it!comes!to!highway!projects,!but!is!all! about!delay!and!efficiency!audits!when!it!comes!to!needed!transit!projects!(Broadway,!Surrey,! etc.).!!The!MoTI's!Massey!Tunnel!approach!looks!incredibly!wellGexecuted!and!is!very!admirable,! it's!just!a!pity!that!the!MoTI!can't!seem!to!pull!this!off!for!the!transit!projects!that!the!region! (TransLink,!Metro!Vancouver,!your!own!BC!Transit!Plan)!has!decided!on.! ! ! Dec(11,(2012( There!is!no!reason!to!delay!replacement!of!the!G.M.!Tunnel.!Having!lived!in!White!Rock!since! 1981!and!having!and!commuted!into!Vancouver!for!most!of!that!time!I!am!very!qualified!to! comment!on!the!efficiency!of!the!tunnel!today.!! The!best!way!to!get!better!flow!through!the!tunnel!during!rush!hour!today,!and!during! upcoming!construction,!should!include:! ! 1)!eliminating!large!truck!use!during!rush!hour! 2)!restricting!large!truck!use!to!hours!outside!of!rush!hour!(both!morning!&!afternoon)! 3)!strongly!encourage!the!public!to!carpool!and!find!incentives!to!make!it!work.! 4)!make!a!dedicated!HOV!lane!the!best!alternative!for!cars! 5)!fine,!toll!or!limit!vehicles!with!single!occupants!during!rush!hour.!Not!enough!has!been!done! to!get!people!out!of!single!occupant!vehicles.!This!will!be!mandatory!during!construction!of!a! new!crossing!as!not!everyone!will!be!able!to!use!the!Alex!Fraser!Bridge!as!an!alternative.! 6)!greatly!improve!(i.e.!double)!transit!options!from!South!Surrey/White!Rock!and! Ladner/Tsawwassen!to!Bridgeport!Station.! ! Insufficient!transit!and!insufficient!Park!&!Ride!parking!is!made!available!today.!With!added! growth!in!S.Surrey!traffic!on!Hwy!99!will!only!continue!to!increase!unless!something!is!done.! ! ! Dec(11,(2012( Amazing!how!fast!you!guys!are!moving!on!this.!It's!impressive!to!see!what!the!BC!MOT!can!do! when!motivated!and!determined.! ! Maybe!you!could!try!this!approach!with!capital!projects!for!transit,!in!Surrey!or!out!to!UBC?! We're!left!to!assume!that!another!TransLink!efficiency!audit!will!be!enough!in!that!case.! ! It's!truly!disappointing!how,!in!spite!of!the!renaming!from!MOTH!to!MOTI,!'I'!just!never!seems!to! include!transit.!It!would!be!great!if!you!could!demonstrate!how!Massey!tunnel!replacement! helps!Metro!Vancouver!move!forward!with!its!growth!strategy,!TransLink!with!their! 2040!vision,!and!indeed,!the!BC!Government's!plan!for!transit,!which!involves!a!significant!mode! share!increase.!One!also!wonders!about!the!future!land!use!impacts!of!everGincreasing!vehicle! (but!not!transit)!accessibility!to!the!south!and!east!of!the!Lower!Mainland;!how!will!you!address! increased!pressures!on!ALR!lands,!and!continued!dispersal!of!employment!into!autoGoriented! business!parks.! ! All!in!all,!very!impressive!approach,!but!thoroughly!disappointing!analysis!of!the!problem,!and! really!quite!appalling!misalignment!with!regional!priorities.! ! ! Dec(10,(2012( I!believe!traffic!flow!could!be!increased!if!lighting!in!the!tunnel!was!improved.!Many!drivers!fail! to!turn!on!their!lights,!believing!erroneously!that!their!daytime!running!lights!turn!on!their! taillights!as!well.!This!leads!to!traffic!slowing!down!or!the!distance!between!vehicles!increasing! significantly.!In!addition,!ideal!conditions!would!be!entrance!lighting!levels!and!the!light!in!the! rest!of!the!tunnel!being!similar!to!the!natural!light!on!the!highway!leading!up!to!the!tunnel.!It! seldom!even!comes!close!to!matching!the!requirements.!This!also!reduces!traffic!flow.!Give!us! older!drivers!(and!many!younger!ones)!a!break!and!turn!on!the!lights!!And!turn!down!the! entrance!lights!at!night!so!they!don't!blind!you!as!you!enter!the!tunnel.! ! ! Dec(9,(2012(( I'd!also!be!interested!in!discussing!shortGterm!solutions!to!tunnel!congestion!now!considering! that!it!will!be!years!before!any!tunnel!replacement!is!complete.! ! ! Dec(7,(2012( Sent!to!MasseyTunnel! ! Dear!NAME!REMOVED,! Please!get!the!new!tunnel!started!ASAP,!as!it!is!badly!needed!to!increase!trade!&!increase!jobs!&! stop!traffic!madness.! Thank!You.! ! ! Nov(29,(2012(( November!29,!2012!! To:!NAME!REMOVED! ! Good!afternoon,!! ! Suggest!a!sea!bus!service!and!repair!the!Massey!Tunnel!for!vehicle!traffic.! ! ! November(22,(2012( Dear!NAME!REMOVED,!!!! Thank!you!for!paying!attention!to!the!plight!of!everyday!citizens!who!are!forced!to!suffer!the! commuting!nightmare!created!by!the!Massey!Tunnel.!!!!I!had!thought!upon!hearing!the! announcement!from!your!office!some!weeks!back!that!it!was!an!empty!election!promise.!Now,! seeing!scheduled!community!consultation!sessions!I!see!it's!more!than!that.!For!this!reason!G! you!have!my!vote.!!!As!you!know!Vancouver!is!an!expensive!place!to!live.!Young!families,!such!as! my!own,!are!forced!to!move!to!the!suburbs!in!search!of!affordable!housing!(a!trend!that!won't! be!reversing!soon).!We!move!to!the!suburbs!in!the!full!knowledge!that!our!family!life!will!suffer! as!a!result!of!commuting!G!my!husband!and!I!commute!a!total!of!23!hours!a!week!from! Tsawwassen!to!Steveston!and!Down!Town!(respectively).!I!would!give!anything!to!get!some!of! this!time!back!to!spend!it!with!my!son.!While!it!would!be!nice!to!think!I!could!get!a!job!closer!to! home!G!that!is!not!realistic!for!a!majority!of!professions!and!families!who!are!dependent!on!two! parent!incomes.!!!I!know!that!solutions!to!the!Massey!Tunnel!are!not!cheap,!not!easy!and!not! fast!but!thank!goodness!we!are!starting!to!talk!about!them.!However,!there!are!some!things! that!can!be!done!in!the!short!term!that!could!help!right!away:! ! Firstly,!why!are!trucks!allowed!to!use!the!tunnel!in!the!height!of!rush!hour!traffic?!This!is!crazy! to!me!and!should!simply!not!be!allowed.! ! The!Steveston!Hwy!exit!must!be!one!of!the!most!poorly!set!up!in!the!Province.!North!bound! traffic!gets!clogged!all!the!way!back!to!the!Delta!Works!yard!mostly!because!of!Southbound! traffic!taking!the!Steveston!exit!which!forces!them!to!cut!across!two!lanes!in!order!to!make!a! left!hand!turn!on!No!5!road.! ! Lastly,!but!not!least!G!what!about!public!transit?!I'm!envious!of!my!work!colleagues!who!are!able! to!take!the!West!Coast!Express!train.!From!Surrey!and!Delta!the!only!options!area!combination! of!bus!and!train.!I!take!both.!In!the!morning!my!husband!drops!me!off!at!Bridgeport!(we!travel! together!so!that!we!can!get!through!the!HOV!lanes!on!either!side!of!the!tunnel).!While!the! Canada!Line!is!a!wonderful!infrastructure!it's!already!at!peak!capacity!during!rush!hour.!I!hear! about!the!many!planned!development!projects!along!the!Cambie!corridor,!which!of!course! make!perfect!sense!in!theory.!But!does!anyone!know!how!to!fit!more!people!onto!a!train!that!is! already!packed?!I!know!in!Japan!they!have!people!to!jam!people!onto!trains!G!I!think!this!could! be!our!future.!Why!can't!we!have!some!vision!about!our!public!transit!needs!and!actually!plan! for!the!future!not!just!the!next!five!years?!The!Canada!Line!is!good!for!now!but!I!don't!think!it's! an!exaggeration!to!argue!that!in!less!than!two!years!it!will!be!over!prescribed.!!Please!show!us! some!vision!on!these!issues.!The!local!politicians!try!their!best!and!are!committed!but!they!can't! do!what!you!could!do!at!a!Provincial!level.!Please!help!to!make!our!city!and!our!lives!more! livable.!!!Thank!you!in!advance.!! ! !

From: "Massey Tunnel TRAN:EX" Subject: FW: Feedback from Stakeholders Into Re-development Plans Date: 20 December, 2012 8:02:45 AM PST To: "'Pamela Ryan'"

Feedback(email. ( Lori%McEwin,(Business(Management(Assistant Ministry(of(Transportation(&(Infrastructure,(South(Coast(Region 3rd(Floor,(7818(6th(Street,(Burnaby,(BC(V3N(4N8 Tel:(604K660K0448(|(Email:%[email protected] ( From: Ray Hudson [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 11:17 PM To: Massey Tunnel TRAN:EX Subject: Feedback from Stakeholders Into Re-development Plans

Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure December 19, 2012 c/o 7351 Vantage Way Delta, BC V4G 1C9 Regarding: Massey Tunnel Replacement The Surrey Board of Trade has identified, for a number of years now, the urgent need to upgrade the relatively old tunnel facility on Highway 99 which, for at least three decades, has operated in an over-capacity mode. It is a serious factor in the gridlock, which has cost our economy billions of dollars. Further we have come to realize that the Massey Tunnel as it sits today is becoming an impediment to the growth of marine commerce along the river due to draught restrictions for vessels servicing the ports upriver from the tunnel. We have held, as our Transportation & Infrastructure priorities, both the tunnel project and the replacement projects as very high priorities once the Highway One/Port Mann and South Fraser Perimeter Road projects were in hand. Although much study and investigation must be completed before a detailed plan can be presented, we applaud the Ministry for undertaking this initiative with the current round of consultations on the tunnel. We understand that the focus of the meetings so far has been primarily for and about the movement of passenger vehicles, with less attention paid to the transportation needs as they apply to the growth of our economy. We urge you to seek out the perspectives of the business community, which holds a very critical stake in the outcome. The Surrey Board of Trade as well as the Lower Mainland Chambers Transportation Panel, of which the board is a founding member, will be very eager, as the process continues, to participate fully in the review and planning for the project. We look forward to participating in the consultative process and assure you that the Surrey Board of Trade will assist in moving the project ahead in any way it can and ask that the Ministry keep us apprised of any further consultation opportunities. Sincerely,

Ray Hudson, Manager Policy and Communications, Surrey Board of Trade cc: Lower Mainland Chambers Transportation Panel BC Trucking Association Fraser Surrey Docks Dave Hayer, MLA Surrey Tynehead Harry Bains, MLA for Surrey Newton & Opposition Critic on Transportation & Infrasructure

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Ray Hudson, Manager, Policy Development & Communications Surrey Board of Trade "Your Business Advantage!" P: 604.581.7130 ext 205 Direct: 604.634.0345 C: 778.840.7208 - An Accredited Chamber of Commerce with Distinction from the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada

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George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

Aaron Meier Table of Contents Replacement Project

Introduction 1 Rapid Transit 2-3 Appearance 4 Bridge Design 5-6 Renders 7-8 Conclusion 9

Introduction George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

Originally constructed in the late 1950s, the Deas Island Tunnel, to which it was known at the time, was a marvel of engineering and technology.

It was originally constructed to link Vancouver to the border, serving all the communities in between. Little forethought had been given to the fact that those communities’ populations would explode to the levels seen today. Currently, an estimated 80,000 trips are made through the George Massey Tunnel every single day. Such a large numbers of trips have created overcapacity issues with the tunnel, and given its location on alluvial soils, it is highly susceptible to large earthquakes.

Thus, given the design considerations of the existing structure, it would be better in the long term to replace it with a new crossing. The following report summarizes the possibility of a bridge spanning the river located just upstream from the existing tunnel.

1

Rapid Transit George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

Public consultation is key to creating an effective crossing that has a balance of vehicular capacity, transit, and pedestrian/cycling options. Rapid transit has been identified as being of vital importance to the Highway 99 corridor. Rail Corridors

It was brought to the government’s attention that the public would like to see rapid transit and/or freight traffic be moved along existing rail corridors in Richmond. These corridors include an existing single-track line down Shell Road, and a previously dismantled corridor on Railway Avenue. The existing rail line down Shell Road is owned by the public company, CN Rail, and would require negotiations over traffic rights to create a passenger corridor. Additionally, any development of an at-grade system along these corridors would result in increased congestion along those rail lines. Rapid transit along those lines would not be practical due to the required frequency of trains to provide effective service. The amount of trains running along the corridor would require train arms to be closed in short time intervals, causing delays along city streets. Furthermore, development along the road network would prevent the construction of overpasses to allow for rapid rail transit due to driveways and other properties close to the tracks. Traffic volumes would also prevent the road network from being taken out of service for extended amounts of time to construct any overpasses. Further consultation should be considered if this idea is to be implemented. SkyTrain Extension

Another topic brought up during discussion of rapid transit in any new crossing was the extension of SkyTrain across the . At the moment, the cannot be extended beyond its terminus station, Richmond-Brighouse, due to the City of Richmond’s wishes that the line be single tracked to reduce its visual impact. Any extension of the Canada Line across the Fraser River would require the reconstruction of Richmond-Brighouse station. Furthermore, density along the corridor between Richmond and Tsawwassen is concentrated in small areas, which would result in long distances being travelled by trains, resulting in reduced economic viability. An alternative to an extension of the Canada Line would be to build either LRT or commuter rail to Bridgeport Station along the Highway 99 corridor. LRT or commuter rail could be integrated into a redevelopment of the interurban corridor from to Chilliwack.

2

Rapid Transit George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

Public consultation is key to creating an effective crossing that has a balance of vehicular capacity, transit, and pedestrian/cycling options. Rapid transit has been identified as being of vital importance to the Highway 99 corridor. Crossing Design

Any new crossing should be designed with the future in mind. Although rapid transit is not necessarily needed now, as increased bus service would be sufficient, it may be necessary in the future. If a new crossing is constructed, it should be built to accommodate multiple forms of transit so that the public and the government can make an informed decision as to what type of transit will be needed in the future. For example, light rail may be needed due to its capacity, while commuter rail is not rapid enough.

Commuter rail may not be feasible for the bridge, due to the fact that locomotives cannot climb grades much steeper than 2%. Most metro systems, including the Canada Line and LRT can accommodate grades of approximately 5%, while SkyTrain, due to its linear induction motor technology, can accommodate grades of 6%. Thus, a new crossing should be designed with a maximum grade of around 5% to allow multiple technologies to be considered.

Rapid transit is not rapid when going through the existing Massey Tunnel. Currently, buses travelling through the tunnel go at the same speed as the traffic around them. To get people out of their vehicles and really using transit, dedicated bus lanes should be constructed in a new or modified crossing with higher speeds than the surrounding lanes. That would allow transit to beat other modes of transportation to their destination.

Integration with the Community

The existing transit system serving the George Massey Tunnel is constrained and inadequate. A new crossing should better integrate transit to promote people to get out of their cars. For instance, the Steveston Highway interchange is poorly designed for transit. Buses heading northbound must exit off Highway 99 to reach the stop at Steveston Highway, only to proceed back onto Highway 99 again. This detour takes valuable time away from commuters. Instead, a redesigned interchange should be constructed that would have bus lanes located in the middle of the highway. This would allow for a platform to be constructed underneath a new Steveston highway overpass, so people could go straight from the transit level to city streets.

3

Appearance

George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

Any new crossing should take advantage of the fact that it will be one of the main routes that motorists will take to get into Vancouver.

The recently constructed , while incredibly large, is very lackluster in its appearance. The does a good job in playing up its appearance through the use of lighting, as well as the Lion’s Gate Bridge.

Any new crossing should take advantage of the latest in environmentally friendly lighting to increase its visual impact. If done well, the crossing would be an interesting sight for motorists and residents nearby the structure, as opposed to an eyesore that is trying to be hidden away. Lighting can be added to the pedestrian railings, similar to the Pioneer overpass in Surrey over highway 99 to improve security and add additional colour.

Colour should also be incorporated into the design somehow. The Skybridge which carries SkyTrain over the Fraser River uses red metal panels to add colour into the design. Any new structure is likely to be constructed of concrete, so metal panels can help add visual interest to the concrete.

4

Bridge Design George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

Lanes

Any new crossing should seriously take traffic patterns over the region into account before deciding on the number of lanes to add to the bridge. Recent trends have suggested that traffic is declining due to people switching to more environmentally friendly commutes, but at the same time, the region is expanding. Thus, any new crossing has to account for people switching to transit and other modes, while still being able to accommodate growth.

Walkways

The new crossing should also be built with wide walkways to accommodate cycling and pedestrian routes across the river. Integration and expansion of existing routes along both sides of the Fraser would reduce the number of cars on the bridge, and reduce traffic as well.

Currently, it would be extremely dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians to try to cross through the existing tunnel, which means they have to take a shuttle to get across the river. Transit

Transit is key to any new crossing, and is vital to the growth of communities in Metro Vancouver. Any new link should include provisions for rapid transit, whether that is in the form of rapid bus service, or rail technology.

5

Bridge Design George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

Safety

Any new crossing should be built to the latest standards in road technology. The use of quiet pavement can reduce the amount of noise emanating from the bridge, as well as reduce pooling water on the bridge deck. Additionally, any railings shall be constructed high enough to mitigate any jumping from the bridge (similar to those on the Bridge). Proposal

The following renders are of a proposed bridge crossing the Fraser River upstream of the existing tunnel. The bridge is a cable-stayed design, constructed primarily of precast concrete. The supporting towers are to be triangular in design (similar to the SkyBridge).

The new bridge is to be constructed with a rapid transit guideway down the centre (or the provisions for one to be constructed), with a single HOV lane on either side. The bridge towers are be constructed between the HOV lanes and the general purpose lanes.

The general purpose lanes are to have three lanes in each direction, with a walkway on the outermost portion of each side of the bridge. The walkway should be at least fifteen feet wide to allow for cyclists/pedestrians to easily cross the length of the bridge without worrying about running into other people or the cable stays.

6

7

8

Conclusion George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

The need for a new crossing is important to the economic and population growth of the province of British Columbia as a whole, and should be completed within the next fifteen years.

The existing George Massey Tunnel should be decommissioned, allowing for dredging of the river bottom to allow larger container ships into the Surrey-Fraser Docks (larger ships were an issue during the consultation process and should be discussed further). The existing location of the tunnel approaches should be landscaped to reduce its environmental impact, as well as allowing the ecosystem on Deas Island to return to its pre-tunnel state.

Any new crossing should be renamed to something other than George Massey, considering that George Massey was a strong proponent of building a tunnel. If a bridge was to be constructed nearby, the naming would no longer be appropriate.

The new crossing will be a key transportation link to BC for decades, and as such, should involve some of the best ideas of this decade.

Note: Renders were created with Google Sketchup, Google Earth, and Kerkythea 2008. Images are not for commercial use. 9