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

  • Delivering accurate vehicle identification
    August 1, 2012
    In the Netherlands, TNO, the independent research organisation, has been engaged in a project on behalf of the RDW, the Dutch vehicle registration and licensing authority, intended to look at the feasibility of using electronic means to make vehicle identification more accurate and less susceptible to fraud. Electronic Vehicle Identification (EVI) has been in existence in various forms for several years now but TNO was tasked with finding out whether OnBoard Unit (OBU)-based applications could be complement
    Read More
  • US congestion costs continue to rise
    January 25, 2012
    The 2010 Urban Mobility Report, published by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, concludes that after two years of slight declines in overall traffic congestion - attributable to the economic downturn and high fuel prices - leading indicators suggest that as the economy rebounds, traffic problems are doing the same. While 2008 was the best year for commuters in at least a decade, the problem again began to grow in 2009.
    Read More
  • Tags or communication based toll payment systems?
    January 20, 2012
    Midland Expressway Ltd's Tom Fanning discusses deployment of Near Field Communicationbased payment on the M6 Toll facility The M6 Toll's introduction from early next year of Near Field Communication (NFC) is a pragmatic response to the relative scarcity of tolled facilities and the concomitant low levels of tag take-up in the UK, according to the road's operator, Midland Expressway Ltd (MEL). Nevertheless, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC)-based tags operating at 5.8GHz are still a key part of the
    Read More
  • Scotland’s new bypass opens
    December 24, 2014
    The new Crianlarich Bypass which opens today will allow through traffic to avoid a bottleneck where the A82 and A85 meet and enable road users to avoid the low bridges in Crianlarich. Local communities, businesses and tourists alike will benefit from reduced congestion on local roads, whilst the wider economy will also benefit by enhancing transport connections right across Scotland.
    Read More

Highlighted Content