Mountain Highway Overpass being replaced with full interchange
Posted November 12, 2014 2:40 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Changes are coming to Highway One in North Vancouver.
The Mountain Highway Overpass is being replaced with a full interchange at a cost of $36 million. The project is aimed at easing congestion around the approach to the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.
The MP for North Vancouver, Andrew Saxton, says construction will be complete by Spring of 2018. “Whether you are trying to access the Sea to Sky Corridor, Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouver, or commuting between Vancouver districts to and from Lions Gate or the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge, heavy traffic is frequent in this area.”
District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton says the congestion the highway causes makes it difficult just to get to the other side of town. “That design goes back to 1961 when North Shore residents welcomed the bridge, but it did split the community almost in half and it’s only in the more recent years that it’s become a significant problem.”
Walton says Keith Road and its bridge will also be upgraded to make east-west travel smoother.
North Shore-Lonsdale MLA Naomi Yamamoto agrees traffic around Highway One needs to be addressed. “I’m concerned about those folks who are just trying to open up their shops on time or get to work on time. Or those customers that are coming to spend some money on the North Shore. And you know, the other thing is tourists. Those folks that are travelling and spending money in our communities.”
Many people in North Vancouver had hoped all the on-ramps, like the dangerous yield from Dollarton Highway and congested Main Street interchange, could be replaced. Planners aren’t ruling that out.
