A contract has been awarded to reconfigure the Dollarton Highway and Main Street interchange that will improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and provide better transit accessibility to and from Highway 1.

The $8.5-million construction contract has been awarded to Lafarge Canada Inc. People in North Vancouver will benefit from the changes, which will help traffic to flow better and help vehicles safely merge. 

The work will reconfigure the eastbound Dollarton Highway and Main Street on-ramps to share the third lane of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge using adaptive signalling. Adaptive signal-control technology adjusts the timing of red, yellow and green lights to accommodate changing traffic patterns to ease traffic congestion and provide a safer merge. This will improve traffic flow and reduce travel time for people heading eastbound. The signalling system will also help reduce fuel consumption and lessen greenhouse gas emissions caused by idling cars. 

The project will include a new bus queue jump lane that will make it easier for buses to enter the highway from the Phibbs exchange. Various active-transportation improvements are also being made that will make it easier and safer for pedestrians and cyclists to enter and exit the North Shore, Ironworkers and local transit stations.

Construction on this segment of the Lower Lynn Improvement Project is expected to begin in the coming weeks with completion expected for fall 2021.

Once the full Lower Lynn Improvement Project is complete, Highway 1 travel during peak times is expected to be reduced by at least nine minutes in the eastbound direction and four minutes in the westbound direction between the top of the cut to mid-span Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.  The new roadwork will create safer merge lanes and reduce the risk of accidents in the area.

Making investments to improve active transportation is part of the B.C. government’s Active Transportation Strategy, Move. Commute. Connect. The strategy supports the government’s commitment to ensure that new bridges and interchanges are designed to make walking, cycling and transit safe and convenient. 

The strategy is part of CleanBC, a plan to help transform how people move around, while encouraging more active transportation in communities. CleanBC is a pathway to a more prosperous, balanced and sustainable future. CleanBC was developed in collaboration with the BC Green Party caucus and Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, and supports the commitment in the Confidence and Supply Agreement to implement climate action to meet B.C.’s emission targets.

Funding for all four phases of the Lower Lynn Improvement Project is being provided by the Province of B.C. ($76.7 million), Government of Canada ($55 million), the District of North Vancouver ($57 million) and third parties ($9.2 million), for a total investment of $198 million.

Provincial construction sites have protocols and policies in place, following the requirements of the provincial health officer, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. These measures include physical distancing and other protocols to ensure worker and public safety.

Learn More:

Lower Lynn Improvement Project: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/transportation-infrastructure/projects/highway-1-lower-lynn-improvements

For guidance to construction sites operating during COVID-19, visit: http://ow.ly/P7WS50z8hNT

For the most up-to-date highway travel information, go to @DriveBC on Twitter
Or visit: https://www.drivebc.ca/

CleanBC: https://cleanbc.gov.bc.ca/