Christy Clark’s “vanity bridge” adventure is hurtling the wrong way. Can anyone save the day?
Superman? Batman? Richmond?
Richmond can! Council’s Harold Steves, Malcolm Brodie, Carol Day and Linda McPhail have enlisted Metro Vancouver and other allies. With public support, they’re striving to get through to our premier or, if necessary, the next one.
As well, they’re seeking a federal environmental assessment. It’s crucial and urgent.
But a change requires an alternative. Luckily, a prior BC Liberal government developed a better plan than Christy’s.
To begin, the BC Liberal plan assumes the seismic upgrade of the existing Massey Tunnel will be completed. (A decade ago, the upgrade stalled after the internal phase, leaving tunnel users at undue risk until the external phase gets done.)
The external seismic upgrade will stabilize the ground around the four-lane legacy tube—the existing tunnel—and its approaches. It should benefit from advances in methods in the lost years, as well as insights from recent seismic analysis for bridge purposes.
Beyond that, the plan envisions an added two-lane tunnel tube, better interchanges and overpasses, and an extensive transit strategy.
The transit aspect features a high-capacity Rapid Bus route on Highway 99 between White Rock and Bridgeport, with a dedicated lane each way for “clean energy buses” and emergency vehicles.
Shoulder bus lanes have gradually appeared along the highway. The present need is for many more buses, along with related transit action such as a big increase in Canada Line capacity. That would reduce car use, freeing road space for other transport.
The new tunnel tube will be placed in a new trench, a little east of the legacy tube, though still seen as part of the Massey Tunnel.
The new tube will have to be installed in time to replace the legacy tube when it undergoes major renovations, closing a pair of lanes at a time. After that, there’ll be six good lanes.
By now, it’s apparent that Christy Clark’s bridge adventure would cost more than stated, but even the stated $3.5 billion could fund the BC Liberal plan very well with a couple of billion to spare. (No need for tolls!)
As well, preempting the cost overrun of the Christy plan could enable seismic retrofit of the B.C. schools that still need funding for it. That might save many families from tragedy.
Also vital: While the Christy plan would assist deep dredging of the Fraser ship channel, the BC Liberal plan deters it. That averts severe harm to the river’s ecology, including already-stressed salmon runs, and to the river delta’s agriculture, including Richmond’s.
It’s time to move on from the “vanity bridge,” a towering symbol made of folly.
The alternative, the dusted-off Liberal plan, is feasible, and it will enable efficient cross-river trips. If they’re pleasant, reliable and safe for all kinds of users, that will be success.
Natural legacies versus waste 
Very good points made here. An alternative is essential. But what is your source for a “better plan” developed by “a prior BC Liberal government”?
There are many sources in announcements and articles during the time when Gordon Campbell was premier. It developed from the seismic upgrades to the announcement of twinning, which appears to have meant a two-lane tube, and then to announcements of transportation strategies that included the dedicated lanes and buses for Rapid Bus.
The article is a column that appeared in the Oct. 12 Richmond News and is now also on that paper’s website, and the column needed to be in the 450–500 word range, which meant that are lot of simplifying was needed. That meant thinking of the many announcements (because governments love to keep announcing essentially the same thing as new initiatives) as a single evolving plan. With the new Liberal government,d the Christy Clark government, there were changes in thinking in announcements and pronouncements that amounted to a different plan.
Of course, the column/article includes explanations of how the plan could unfold that are not part of the prior planning, but they are still consistent with it.