Richmond Mayor says Massey Tunnel Replacement Project should be scaled back

RICHMOND (NEWS 1130) – Richmond’s mayor is using the BC government’s own data showing traffic is declining at the Massey Tunnel to strengthen his case for the replacement project to be scaled back.

He says it’s more proof the 10-lane, $3.5-billion bridge is a bad idea.

The data is found in the BC government’s environmental assessment submissions for the project. It shows average traffic volume for the tunnel decreased steadily between 2005 and 2014.

Malcolm Brodie has a laundry list of reasons to oppose the project. He says the data is the latest.

“The north bound traffic is just going to have gridlock just as much as ever before except it will be a shorter line because they’ll get over the big, new bridge fast, but Oak and 70th is still going to be a problem. We’ve got problems or challenges in relation to the farm land, we’ve got challenges with the tolling policy because traffic is going to be diverted to other bridges…and of course the involvement of the port. So I think the story is far from being told in public by the government and I think it’s time that they did.”

Brodie has been vocally opposed to the project in this form since its announcement.

Brodie, and others, believe better access for freighters and tankers for the port is the major reason the bridge was chosen as opposed to a more modest option.

“They want the tunnel removed so they can get bigger ships, more ships to come up and down that river with LNG, with jet fuel, with this terrible coal they’re bringing from the United States. All kinds of products are to go up and down that river. It’s to be a far bigger channel for commerce and that’s a big part of why they want this high, long bridge.”

He would rather see a regional tolling policy which would spread the traffic over all crossings.

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