Downgrades to South Fraser Perimeter Road project

DELTA (NEWS1130) - It's already millions of dollars over budget and a year behind schedule. But now, News1130 has learned there are major downgrades to the South Fraser Perimeter Road project.

Delta's engineering department tells us the planned freeway route was scrapped in favor of a stop-and-go highway controlled by traffic signals.

Councillor Anne Peterson says, "It is touted by the province that it's good for the environment because you don't have trucks sitting or traveling through neighbourhood roads and sitting at lights... It was promoted as a means of saving money for truck companies and industries."

Peterson says Delta learned the highway will be upgraded when the traffic volume is there, and she's been told congestion will be bad on the opening day.

In August, Transportation Minister Shirley Bond told us there were no plans to scrap interchanges. "We have had to make some adjustments in the project timeline, but the project is moving forward as aggressively as we can."

Adam Grossman with ICBC says he's received Delta's safety concerns, but can't comment just yet. He says more than 40 per cent of crashes in BC happen at intersections and high speed can add to the risk. "Any driver approaching average intersection has to process around 1,300 pieces of information per minute, so intersections are tough places to deal with anyways."

Delta is worried the South Fraser Perimeter Road will create high-crash locations, like one the municipality already deals with at Highway 17 and Ladner Trunk Road.