A completed interchange at Highway 91 and 72 Avenue, and continued work on the Alex Fraser Bridge is a step in the right direction for reducing congestion in Delta, the province announced Friday (Oct. 19).
“The new interchange has eliminated the last signal for through-traffic on Highway 91, so people can keep moving south of the Alex Fraser Bridge,” Claire Trevena, minister of transportation and infrastructure, said in the release.
“This improvement ties nicely into the seventh lane being added to the bridge, which should help people have easier commutes.”
The interchange replaced the traffic lights that had long stopped through traffic on Highway 91 travelling past 72 Avenue. Construction finished on the $30-million project in August of this year.
RELATED: New overpass at 72nd Avenue now open to traffic
Construction on the Alex Fraser Bridge will restart next week, continuing the province’s $70-million project to increase capacity on the more than 30-year-old bridge.
This work will include strengthening the bridge and creating a seventh lane, adding a moveable barrier and counterflow signs, widening Highway 91 at the Cliveden overpass, building a third southbound lane on Highway 91 between the Nordel Way and 72 Avenue interchanges, improving cycling connections, and installing message boards to give drivers real-time information on crossing times for bridges over the Fraser River.
RELATED: Completion date for Alex Fraser Bridge improvements pushed to 2019
“Delta appreciates the investments being made by the Province of British Columbia to relieve traffic congestion,” Ken Kuntz, Delta’s acting city manager, said in the release.
“The completion of the 72nd Street Interchange removes the last signal light on this busy highway. These improvements along with the counterflow lane system being put in place on the Alex Fraser Bridge will substantially improve traffic flow.”
Construction for the bridge capacity improvements started in fall 2017. The project is expected to be complete in summer 2019.
grace.kennedy@northdeltareporter.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
