A Tunnel under New Westminster

[Smmrs]

This is what I came up with a couple of days ago while sitting in traffic on Stewardson.

A tunnel under New Westminster, from the north end of the Queensbourogh Bridge to Highway 1 at Cariboo. I envision two exits (interchanges) from the tunnel, one at Kingsway for access to Metrotown and one at McBride for access to the Patullo Bridge.

How much could something like this cost? It would have to be tolled I'm sure but it would save everybody travelling from Hwy1 or the Tri-Cities to Richmond, Airport, Delta or south Burnaby a ton of time. I would definitley use it to get from Marine Way in Burnaby to Hwy and out to Langley.

Any comments?

[Yellow Fever]

The proposed and then cancelled North Fraser Perimeter Road is similar to your tunnel dream that would have improved the existing roads along the north shore of the Fraser River and to provide an continuous route between the Queensborough Bridge in New Westminster and Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows.

[Adam Fitch]

to smmrs: there was a highway plan similar to yours about 30 years ago or so. if you explore the streets in Burnaby north of 10th avenue, around Newcombe street, you will see that redevelopment has been prohibited in that area (I am asuming) to enable such a route to be built in the future. the route would then run northeast downhill through the George Derby Hospital lands and connect to Hwy 1 at the Cariboo interchange, which was designed with just such a thing in mind.

I once asked the head of transportation planning at the city of Burnaby about that in 2002, and he said that it was a plan that was on the back shelf. I guess that he was thinking that big through-transportation projects catering to non-burnaby single vehicle traffic did not fit with the politics of burnaby at the time. I think that is still the case. The province or translink would have to drive this, and I don't think they will. the last project of such kind that I can think of, the Cassiar Tunnel, was done in the 1990's, and encountered lots of local opposition.

In my opinion, it will probably be the last of its kind for the near term future.

Adam Fitch

[Brendan19]

Stormont Connector

[trece verde]

Doesn't really look like it's going to happen now, given the way that the Gagliardi Way overpass and interchange is being redeveloped.

Burnaby had a number of traffic developments like this on the books at one point, but specifically with Newcombe Street, there were property expropriation issues. What they chose to do instead was to wait out residents who didn't want to move or sell - witness the east side of Willingdon Ave. north of Brentwood.

Keep in mind too that New Westminster is NIMBY Central for traffic issues. Take a look at 20th St. for confirmation of that.

[Yellow Fever]

Originally Posted by trece verde

Keep in mind too that New Westminster is NIMBY Central for traffic issues. Take a look at 20th St. for confirmation of that.

many streets in new west should be widen to two or may be even three lanes on each side to cope with the increasing traffic volumne but the NIMBY won't let it happen because they are afraid that their house value would go down once their tiny streets become "highway".

[trece verde]

Keep in mind also that New Westminster's street grid was designed for traffic volumes of the 1920's, as was most of the Burrard Peninsula's. With the exceptions of McBride, 8th St., 10th Ave., Columbia, Stewardson, and Brunette, there isn't any expansion room unless you start expropriating properties, and that gets really expensive. Consider also who would be doing the expropriation - Translink and the City of New West - NOT BC MOH, as there are no highways there any more. BC Highways there were downloaded to the Regional Districts, and regional road construction seems to be Translink's responsibility now, even if it does have provincial implications.

All that being said, there is historically very vocal opposition to expanding traffic lanes on 20th St., even though to me it would make more sense to move the traffic out of there instead of having it sit and idle there in rush hour...

[Adam Fitch]

Originally Posted by trece verde

Doesn't really look like it's going to happen now, given the way that the Gagliardi Way overpass and interchange is being redeveloped.

Burnaby had a number of traffic developments like this on the books at one point, but specifically with Newcombe Street, there were property expropriation issues. What they chose to do instead was to wait out residents who didn't want to move or sell - witness the east side of Willingdon Ave. north of Brentwood.

Keep in mind too that New Westminster is NIMBY Central for traffic issues. Take a look at 20th St. for confirmation of that.

Further to my post from last year, I still believe that the 20th street tunnel (is this the stormont connector?) tunnel is good idea, and I still believe that the politics in New West and Burnaby are strongly against it.

I agree that the new west's rejection of the United Boulevard Extension was a good example of that NIMBYism. Bad decision, in my opinion.

Anyway, now that Translink is considering replacing the Patullo Bridge, at the strong lobbying if Surrey, maybe the stormont connecter concept will be resurrected.

[trece verde]

Don't hold your breath...

...it's already been on the books for over 40 years.