Metro Vancouver – the federation of 22 municipalities in the Greater Vancouver area – has its own Transportation Committee, chaired by Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts. And today, it’s considering a report by Senior Regional Planner Ray Kan: “Comments on the Proposed Bridge to Replace the George Massey Tunnel.”
Here is Kelly Sinoski’s summary in The Sun.
Given its importance, the full text is below. Report with appendices is here.
.
PURPOSE
On September 20, 2013, the Premier of British Columbia announced a preferred alternative for the replacement of the George Massey Tunnel. A new bridge will replace the tunnel on approximately the same alignment. This report provides comments based on published information from the Province, and the consultation that was undertaken over the past year.
.
BACKGROUND
In fall 2012, the Province undertook Phase 1 consultation on the replacement of the George Massey Tunnel to solicit feedback from stakeholders on issues around the current tunnel. In spring 2013, the Province undertook Phase 2 consultation to solicit feedback on five scenarios for replacing the tunnel. Metro Vancouver staff participated in stakeholder sessions and attended public meetings in both phases. Two staff letters were sent to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
.
There was a general understanding that the process to select a preferred alternative would take place after the provincial election, and after additional analysis have been completed and the results shared with stakeholders. The announcement by the Premier on September 20, 2013 was unexpected in light of the absence of technical information provided during consultation about the performance and other attributes of the alternatives.
.
DISCUSSION
Current Facility
The George Massey Tunnel is an important regional facility being one of five Fraser River crossings in the region. According to the Province, the George Massey Tunnel carried over 80,000 vehicles each day in 2011.
Source: Phase 1 Consultation Discussion Guide, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
The existing capacity of the tunnel is close to or over capacity for most of the day, leading to long queues and travel times. The lack of capacity was identified by the Province as a key issue as both sides of the river is expected to experience growth in population, jobs, and travel. The Province also identified other issues with the tunnel such as not meeting modern seismic standards, aging operating systems, narrow lanes, the general lack of redundancy when traffic incidents occur, and no capacity for cyclists.
According to the Province, the modal share of vehicles traversing the tunnel in 2011 was
-
Single-occupant vehicles: 77%
-
Multiple-occupant vehicles: 10%
-
Heavy commercial trucks: 9%
-
Light commercial trucks: 3%
-
Buses: 1% (accounts for 26% of person throughput)
Only limited information has been provided by the Province about the proposed bridge. An animated flyover prepared by the Province depicts a facility with 5 lanes in each direction (4 general purpose lanes, plus one high-occupancy vehicle lane) and protected cycling/pedestrian lanes in each direction. In comparison, the current tunnel provides 3 lanes of travel in the peak direction (comprising a counterflow lane). The bridge concept represents an increase in vehicle travel capacity over the existing tunnel. Construction on the new bridge would start in 2017.
.
The geographic scope of the project remains unclear. In earlier consultation materials, the scope was stated to include consideration of “all interchanges within the Highway 99 corridor from Bridgeport Road in Richmond to the Canada/US border in Surrey, as well as connections to other provincial highways, and regional and local routes”. From inspection of the animated flyover and a schematic provided by the Province, the portion of the bridge on Deas Island appears to be located on land owned by the Province. This land divides the east and west portions of Deas Island Regional Park. The Province has owned this land since before the Park was established in the early 1980’s. It is likely that the Province will release a more complete description of the project in the near future, and staff’s analysis will be updated as appropriate.
.
Considerations for a Regional Dialogue
The George Massey Tunnel was identified by the Province as a longer-term gateway priority. With the Gateway Program nearing completion, the Province has elevated the watercrossing to be the next roadway expansion priority in the region. And much like the Gateway Program, the proposed bridge will engender debate and discussion about the way transportation projects are prioritized and the impacts of expanding road capacity on land use, air quality, transportation, and economic objectives.
A new bridge with expanded capacity provides opportunities to incorporate new measures that cannot be accommodated in the existing tunnel. These measures could include (subject to the release of detail project information by the Province):
-
direct access for pedestrians and cyclists;
-
a structure that meets modern seismic standards;
-
lane widths that meet current guidelines;
-
better lane allocation for longer-distance through trips and shorter-distance trips; and
-
a better match between capacity and current and future travel demands by commercial trucks, buses and general purpose traffic.
Staff sees no objections to these measures. From a transportation performance and economic perspective, ensuring traffic runs safely and efficiently benefits commuters in passenger vehicles and buses, transit service providers, and trucks carrying goods to market. From an environmental perspective, reducing extensive periods of idling vehicles is beneficial for air quality, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. These interests are aligned with the Regional Growth Strategy:
RGS Action 1.2.9(c): That TransLink and the province, as appropriate, work with municipalities to support the safe and efficient movement of people, goods, and service vehicles, to, from, and within Urban Centres and Frequent Transit Development Areas (e.g., by enhancing the design and operation of the road network), where appropriate.
RGS Action 2.1.5: That TransLink, the federal government and the province and their agencies develop and operate transportation infrastructure to support economic activity in Urban Centres, Frequent Transit Development Areas, Industrial, Mixed Employment areas and ports and airports.
The major objections are the missing perspective on the relationship between this corridor and the wider transportation network, and the absence of appropriate capacity and transportation demand management measures required to carefully align this facility with broader regional land use, environmental, and transportation objectives. There are some potential near-term and long-term consequences.
.
1. Potential for Induced Vehicle Travel and Emissions in the Near-Term
A new facility having expanded vehicle capacity could induce more vehicle trips. Inducing more vehicle trips runs counter to established regional objectives. TransLink’s newly adopted Regional Transportation Strategy Framework establishes two regional targets:
-
To make half of all trips by walking, cycling, and transit; and
-
To reduce the distances people drive by one-third.
Metro Vancouver has established ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets and air quality objectives.
An expanded facility might:
-
unleash pent up travel demand (travelers who may be adverse to sitting in traffic may decide to take ore trips in the future as a result of the improved travel times and safety),
-
shift travelers from transit or carpooling to single-occupant vehicles, or
-
change travel patterns (travelers who were used to taking an alternate route, such as the Alex Fraser Bridge, may switch over to the new facility via the South Fraser Perimeter Road).
An expanded facility without additional complementary measures to discourage single-occupant vehicles and to encourage carpooling, transit, and cycling would indeed be deficient and short-sighted.
Unfettered access could easily result in a congested facility. Further, an expanded facility may simply move the “bottleneck” further downstream or upstream. The Regional Growth Strategy anticipated that the current spate of road expansion projects would not be the last one. During consultation, Metro Vancouver advised the Ministry of the following actions in the Regional Growth Strategy:
RGS Action 5.2.6: That TransLink and the province, as appropriate, in collaboration with municipalities seek to minimize impacts from within-and-through passenger, goods, and service vehicle movement on the environment and public health affecting the region and areas within the Lower Fraser Valley Airshed.
RGS Action 5.2.7: That the TransLink and the Province, as appropriate, evaluate the following elements when contemplating future expansion of private vehicle capacity on major roads, highways, and bridges:
a) Transportation demand management strategies as alternatives to, or as integral with, such capacity expansion;
b) Impacts on the achievement of the Regional Growth Strategy and the Integrated Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Management Plan, including potential cumulative impacts.
.
2. Potential for Unanticipated Land Use Changes in the Long-Term
Reducing travel time expands the catchment area for a given travel time budget. Improvements to accessibility are capitalized in land markets. The improved access to lands, be it residential, commercial, industrial, or agricultural, could have a distributional effect on shifting growth from one area to another. This is an uncertainty that the Regional Growth Strategy never explicitly considered in the population and employment forecasts. It is unclear what basic demographic assumptions the Ministry has been using to justify the proposed capacity on the bridge. It is also unclear what assumptions have been made about plans by Port Metro Vancouver to expand container throughput capacity at Roberts Bank, and to better utilize available marine terminal capacity at Fraser Surrey Docks.
.
3. Unclear Impacts on the Development of the Regional Transportation Strategy and Regional Goods Movement Strategy
The uncertainty around the new bridge puts into doubt the validity of the technical work being undertaken by TransLink for the Regional Transportation Strategy, the Regional Goods Movement Strategy, and the Pattullo Bridge Strategic Review Study. The development of the Implementation Plan is crucial – priorities for new medium-term transportation investments will be deliberated and established. The uncertainty around the capacity of the new bridge and interactions with other components of the regional transportation system must be understood (i.e., whether the new bridge will be tolled). The effect on truck movement is unclear.
.
ALTERNATIVES
1. That the Board:
a) advise the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure that the project scope, design, and performance of the proposed bridge to replace the George Massey Tunnel should take into careful consideration of the effects on the implementation of the Regional Growth Strategy, Integrated Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Management Plan, and Regional Transportation Strategy, and that measures be included to support, and not detract from, regional objectives.
b) request the TransLink Board provide Metro Vancouver with technical analysis and commentary on the potential transportation and emissions implications of expanding transportation capacity on the George Massey Tunnel corridor and effects with proximate Fraser River watercrossings, including tolling and non-tolling scenarios, and the degree of consistency and support the proposed bridge would have on the Regional Growth Strategy, Integrated Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Management Plan, the Regional Transportation Strategy, and Regional Goods Movement Strategy.
.
2. That the Board receive for information the report titled, “Comments on the Proposed Bridge to Replace the George Massey Tunnel”, dated September 25, 2013.
.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Information about the project scope, design, performance, cost, procurement method, and tolling policy has yet to be released by the Province. The availability of provincial funding for othertransportation priorities in the region may be affected by this decision. There may be potential impacts imposed by the bridge on Deas Island Regional Park and proximate ecologically sensitive areas – these impacts may have financial bearing on Metro Vancouver, and will be further analyzed and deliberated by the Environment and Parks Committee.
If the Board approves Alternative 1, then staff will continue to work with the Province to ensure that the land use and air quality/GHG implications of the new bridge be considered and integrated into the project scope, design, and performance.
If the Board chooses Alternative 2, then no further action will be taken at this time. Given the lack of information about the proposed bridge, it may be prudent for the Board to simply monitor and respond once the project definition report, or equivalent document, is released by the Province. At that point, staff would be able to clarify some or all issues identified in this report, and a more fulsome discussion could take place.
.
SUMMARY / CONCLUSION
On September 20, 2013, the Premier of British Columbia announced a preferred alternative for the replacement of the George Massey Tunnel. A new bridge will replace the tunnel on approximately the same alignment. This report provides comments based on published information from the Province, and the consultation that was undertaken over the past year. Providing for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods is one of many regional objectives. Staff recommends
Alternative 1 to ensure that the project takes into careful consideration of the effects on the implementation of the Regional Growth Strategy, Integrated Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Management Plan, and Regional Transportation Strategy, and that measures are included to support, and not detract, from these regional objectives.
Further, the regional transportation authority has an important role to play in this process. In the newly adopted Regional Transportation Strategy Framework, TransLink commits to “work with the Province to ensure a replacement to the Massey Tunnel is integrated with the regional network in a way that is consistent with the Regional Growth Strategy and the Regional Transportation Strategy.”
Therefore, staff recommends Alternative 1 requesting that TransLink advise Metro Vancouver on the potential transportation implications of this bridge. This information will be useful to advance the regional dialogue, not only on the merit of the bridge itself, but also implications for investment priorities in the Regional Transportation Strategy.
Issues related to potential impacts that a new bridge may impose on Deas Island Regional Park and ecologically sensitive areas, and the appropriate mitigation and compensation, will be addressed by the Environment and Parks Committee.
,
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Board:
a) advise the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure that the project scope, design, and performance of the proposed bridge to replace the George Massey Tunnel should take into careful consideration of the effects on the implementation of the Regional Growth Strategy, Integrated Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Management Plan, and Regional Transportation
Strategy, and that measures be included to support, and not detract from, regional objectives.
.
b) request the TransLink Board provide Metro Vancouver with technical analysis and commentary on the potential transportation and emissions implications of expanding transportation capacity on the George Massey Tunnel corridor and effects with proximate Fraser River watercrossings, including tolling and non-tolling scenarios, and the degree of consistency and support the proposed bridge would have on the Regional Growth Strategy, Integrated Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Management Plan, the Regional Transportation Strategy, and Regional Goods Movement Strategy.
