Motorists are reminded that the new Tsawwassen Mills development (located on Tsawwassen First Nations' land in Delta) will officially open this morning.

The new shopping mall is expected to generate increased traffic to this already busy area.

There will be traffic control personnel on site helping to control traffic flow from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11.

A number of improvements were made to Highway 17 and surrounding roads in the spring, in anticipation of the large new mall opening this fall.

The highway was widened from four to six lanes, along with investments to co-ordinate traffic signals. In addition, access lanes have been created off the highway to remove any potential queuing from the corridor.

These highway upgrades were made to boost traffic safety and efficiency, especially during busier times, such as when a ferry is coming in or going out. All costs for these highway improvements were paid for by the Tsawwassen Mills developer.

Drivers are advised to obey all traffic control personnel and to be prepared for larger traffic volumes in this area, especially for this first week of the new mall opening.

Motorists are always advised to visit DriveBC at www.drivebc.ca before they head out on their journeys.