Vancouver to replace tunnel with toll bridge

In an effort to reduce "the worst bottleneck" to traffic in the region, Vancouver, British Columbia, is to replace the Massey Tunnel on highway 99 with a wider bridge that is expected to be a tolled. The four-lane lane tunnel, which opened in 1959, is heavily overloaded for much of the day, carrying an average daily traffic of around 80,000 vehicles. Public consultation favoured a new bridge over the alternatives of renovation and additional tubes.
September 30, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
In an effort to reduce "the worst bottleneck" to traffic in the region, Vancouver, British Columbia, is to replace the Massey Tunnel on highway 99 with a wider bridge that is expected to be a tolled.

The four-lane lane tunnel, which opened in 1959, is heavily overloaded for much of the day, carrying an average daily traffic of around 80,000 vehicles.  Public consultation favoured a new bridge over the alternatives of renovation and additional tubes.

It is believed that a bridge should be less susceptible to earthquake damage, while removal of the tunnel will eliminate an obstacle to deepening of the channel for shipping.  Cost of building the bridge is anticipated to be around US$970 million.

Engineering and technical work is now under way to develop a project scope and business case for the new bridge and associated Highway 99 corridor improvements. This work will be presented for public discussion next spring, ensuring that the project remains on track for construction to begin in 2017.
Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • Thales builds on Canadian connection for transit R&D
    June 20, 2016
    The Canadian province of Ontario is continuing to benefit from its ongoing investment in transit R&D. David Crawford looks at the impact of new investment. Developing the next generation of urban rail signalling solutions worldwide, with the emphasis on transit security and efficiency, is the goal of a recently-created business partnership between the government of the Canadian province of Ontario and Thales Canada. The wholly-owned subsidiary of the France-HQ'd global defence, aerospace and transportation
    Read More
  • Developer selected for Dallas Airport freeway project
    June 2, 2014
    Traffic relief is on the way for North Texas motorists who rely on SH 183, the airport freeway in Dallas and Tarrant counties. The Texas Transportation Commission has awarded a contract to Southgate Mobility Partners to develop much-needed improvements on up to 28 miles of roadway. Listed in the Texas Department of Transportation's 100 Most Congested Roadways, segments of SH 183 are used by nearly 170,000 vehicles daily.
    Read More
  • Fluor JV to build Texas expressway
    June 1, 2015
    A Fluor-led joint venture, Colorado River Constructors, a partnership with Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, has been awarded a four-year design-build contract by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority to provide design and construction services valued at US$581 million for the Bergstrom Expressway Project located in Austin, Texas. According to Fluor, the project provides the most significant improvements to the US Highway 183 corridor since the mid-1960s. The joint venture will design and reconst
    Read More
  • Debating road user charging systems
    January 26, 2012
    Are pre-launch trials of charging systems the way to improve public acceptance? Or is the real key a more robust political attitude? Here, leading system suppliers discuss the issue. The use of distance-based Road User Charging (RUC) is now well established, at least for heavy goods vehicles on strategic roads. However demand management for all vehicles, whether a distance-based charge or some form of cordon scheme, has yet to make significant progress. This is in spite of the logic and equity of RUC being
    Read More

Highlighted Content