The Highway 17 route is about to get a smoother, flatter surface, stretching from 136th Street to 138th Street.

The concessionaire for Highway 17, the Fraser Transportation Group, has developed a design for a long-term fix for this section of highway to eliminate the “bump” that drivers have been experiencing, and to make the roadway smoother to drive.

The uneven sections of roadway are the result of soil settlement. Soil settlement under roads is not unusual – it happens from time to time with any large, major road-building project. The Fraser Transportation Group and the ministry have been monitoring this location closely.

To ensure the long-term success of the rehabilitation work, the Fraser Transportation Group has had to wait for the soil to settle before any major works could be designed and commissioned.

The area slated for rehabilitation work is located over a Kinder Morgan pipeline. The Fraser Transportation Group is working with Kinder Morgan to obtain the necessary approvals needed to safely work over its pipeline structure. 

The work will include injecting grout below the concrete approach slabs and rebuilding and repaving the road over the pipeline. 

Work is expected to begin on Highway 17 in early fall to mitigate any major travel delays on the corridor, given there are still active closures on the Pattullo Bridge for the TransLink-led rehabilitation project. The concessionaire is responsible for paying all costs of the necessary repairs.

In the meantime, this route remains safe to drive as long as motorists are driving to the speed limit and are obeying the warning signs to slow down along this section.