Upgrades to more Delta thoroughfares are inching forward.
On Sept. 8, the province put out a request for qualifications for changes to Highway 91 and Highway 17. The upgrades are part of a $245-million construction project which is intended to improve traffic congestion along the two highways.
The project is being financed by the provincial government, the federal government, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and the Tsawwassen First Nation.
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The upgrades included in the request for qualifications are:
- direct ramps to and from Delta at the Nordel interchange and Highway 91, including additional through-lanes for Nordel Way traffic over Highway 91;
- intersection upgrades at the Highway 91 connector and Nordel Way, including additional turn lanes, direct access roads and the removal of one signal light;
- replacing the signal intersection at Highway 17 and the Highway 91 connector to remove the traffic signals and the need to cross the train tracks to access the highway from River Road;
- and upgrading the right turn connection from 80th Street at Highway 17.
According to the province’s project website, these upgrades are intended to reduce conflicts between local and commercial traffic in the area, as well as complement the Alex Fraser Bridge and 72nd Avenue interchange projects.
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The request for qualifications is expected to be awarded in the spring or summer of 2019. The upgrades are expected to be complete by 2023.
Contracts have already been awarded for work in other areas of the Highway 91 and Highway 17 project. These include upgrades to Deltaport Way, which will create a merging lane to improve access from 27B Avenue, and upgrades to 27B Avenue, which includes road widening and access to industrial lands from 41B Street.
Construction for these upgrades is expected to get underway shortly.
grace.kennedy@northdeltareporter.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
