Massey Tunnel Replacement project granted environmental assessment approval

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Environment Minister Mary Polak and Peter Fassbender issued the go ahead.

It comes with legally enforceable conditions that the ministers say ensures no significant adverse effects are likely to occur.

The project includes; * building a new 10-lane, clear span bridge over the South Arm of the Fraser River;

• replacing the Westminster Highway, Steveston Highway and Highway 17A interchanges;
• widening Highway 99 between Bridgeport Road in Richmond and Highway 91 in Delta to accommodate dedicated transit/High Occupancy Vehicle lanes; and
• decommissioning the George Massey Tunnel.

 

In a release, the province says “There are 33 conditions that are part of the Environmental Assessment Certificate. Design requirements are specified in the certified project description. Each of the conditions and the certified project description are legally binding requirements that the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure must meet to be in compliance with the certificate.”

The province says the findings that assisted ministers in concluding that no significant adverse effects are likely to occur from the project include:

• the design of a clear span bridge across the Fraser River to avoid instream footprint effects on fish and fish habitat;
• tunnel decommissioning would not result in changes to the size of vessels using the Fraser River; and
• analysis that indicated the project would eliminate congestion delays and idling at the tunnel, providing relief for a number of local Richmond roads.

 

Key conditions and requirements mean that the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure must:

• Develop a management plan to minimize potential impacts on fish and fish habitat during project construction
• Develop a fish habitat offsetting plan that includes restoration of Green Slough and Deas Slough;
• Establish a marine users group and develop a plan to manage marine access during construction to reduce potential disruption to commercial, recreational, or Aboriginal marine users;
• Ensure access to fisheries for Aboriginal and commercial fishers during project construction;
• Participate in any initiatives related to the monitoring, assessment, or management of cumulative environmental effects;
• Develop a traffic and access management plan and establish a transportation working group for Highway 99, in order to share the results of traffic monitoring data and identify and discuss the operation of transportation infrastructure and the integration with adjacent infrastructure; and
• Continue to consult with Aboriginal groups, including during the development of management plans, and provide opportunities for Aboriginal groups to participate in environmental monitoring activities.