Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone released the following statement on Metro Vancouver’s position on the George Massey Tunnel:

“The George Massey Tunnel is nearing the end of its life and is an impediment to safe, efficient movement of traffic through the area – it needs to be replaced. The tunnel has about 10 years left before the major components, like the lighting, ventilation and pumping systems will need to be replaced. And while some seismic upgrades were done in 2008, engineers advised that there was risk that the tunnel could be damaged and made unusable if we made additional seismic upgrades. This means that if British Columbia was hit with a moderately significant earthquake, the tunnel would be seriously damaged or destroyed, cutting off this lifeline during an emergency and for months or years after.

“Safety is the primary reason for why we need to replace the tunnel and replace it soon. But replacing it also brings a number of other benefits. Every day, thousands of transit users, truckers and drivers commute along Highway 99 through the George Massey Tunnel during rush hour. Each of those drivers lose an average of 30 minutes a day – over four hours a week – as their vehicles churn out tons of harmful greenhouse emissions, while they idle in long queues.

“A bridge will remove what is currently the worst traffic bottleneck in B.C. and eliminate over one million hours of vehicle idling each year – improving air quality in the region and cutting down on the greenhouse emissions churned out by the idling cars. The project will include 200 lane-kilometres of new, improved and rehabilitated highway to relieve congestion. And it will offer a more direct bus service with 50 kilometers of new dedicated HOV and bus lanes with better connections into TransLink networks and to the Canada Line.

“Metro Vancouver incorrectly suggests that by building this vitally important new bridge, we are ignoring transit improvements in the region. We have been very clear on this point: we are investing in both road infrastructure and transit upgrades.

“We’ve invested billions into expanding TransLink services. We’ve built the Canada Line. We’ve nearly finished the Evergreen Line extension. And just last week, Premier Christy Clark, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mayor Gregor Robertson announced a commitment to invest nearly $800 million in provincial and federal transit funding to move forward with major transit priorities in the region and throughout the province.

“Regarding public consultations, the Province has led three rounds of detailed consultation over the last four years, receiving and incorporating feedback from thousands of British Columbians, First Nations and stakeholder groups into our planning process.

“Metro Vancouver has been fully engaged in this project since it was first announced in 2012. Since then, the project team has had more than 30 meetings with Metro Vancouver and Metro Vancouver Parks. Metro Vancouver is also an active participant as a member of the EAO’s technical working group on the project. This working group includes federal and provincial agencies, Aboriginal groups and other local governments. As we have on every step of this process, we will continue to work with all of our partners to find ways to make this project better for the people it serves and to ensure it is done in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

“The George Massey Tunnel replacement project represents a significant investment in the people and economy of the Lower Mainland. Its benefits – safety, transit, environmental and added capacity – will be felt well beyond the region.

“Simply put, for those who rely on this corridor and use it daily, the crossing is too important to do nothing.”