Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / The busy intersection of Vedder Road and South Sumas Road is pictured from December 2022 (when gas prices were 143.9/litre). The City of Chilliwack said Friday in its transportation newsletter that full construction of the Vedder/South Sumas Road intersection is scheduled to begin in June, but delays have hampered the advent of intersection improvements, including a dedicated left-turn lane for southbound motorists on Vedder.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

South Sumas/Vedder intersection work

South Sumas and Vedder intersection work finally scheduled for June

Jun 2, 2023 | 4:55 PM

CHILLIWACK — Following a series of delays, the City of Chilliwack says full construction of the Vedder Road and South Sumas Road intersection is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 12.

In the city’s monthly transportation newsletter released Friday, city staff wrote that B.C. Hydro crews and city utility crews have been making adjustments to prepare for upgrades to the intersection.

Nevertheless, it’s safe to say the improvements to the busy intersection of Vedder Road and South Sumas Road in Chilliwack have taken longer than expected.

The City of Chilliwack wrote in its fourth quarter report, which was released online on Tuesday, February 7, that necessary vegetation removals have been completed to allow for road widening and B.C. Hydro, Telus and Shaw utility pole relocations along Vedder Road. Telus poles on the west side of the road were relocated, the city wrote in its fourth report. The report said B.C. Hydro relocations were scheduled for the first quarter of this year, with drainage, electrical, and roadworks to follow.

It isn’t the first time the city projected certain timelines for the project but didn’t meet those anticipated deadlines.

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According to a previous project timeline on the city’s website, pole relocations were set to occur between November and February 2023, with drainage and roadwork to begin in early spring 2023, and construction would wrap up in April.

Back in September 2022, the City of Chilliwack announced that property acquisitions at the intersection of Vedder Road and South Sumas Road were nearing completion. The project had been awarded to a design build contractor, and coordination with B.C. Hydro and Telus was underway, with utility pole relocations awaiting schedule confirmation. While the design was set to be completed in July, the city had previously projected a construction timeline of September through November 2022.

The project still calls for a traffic signal expansion and approximately 260 meters of road widening along with paving, drainage, streetlights, curb and sidewalk installation.

Dedicated left-turn lanes on Vedder Road for traffic heading eastbound and westbound on South Sumas Road will be provided.