Image: Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure / The next phase of the long-awaited expansion of Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley to Sumas Prairie has begun, as the B.C. government moves forward with plans it says will eventually relieve traffic congestion and facilitate additional transportation options in the region.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Highway 1 in the Fraser Valley

Next phase of Hwy. 1 expansion through Fraser Valley begins

Nov 28, 2023 | 7:19 AM

ABBOTSFORD — The next phase of the long-awaited expansion of Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley to Sumas Prairie has begun, as the B.C. government moves forward with plans it says will eventually relieve traffic congestion and facilitate additional transportation options in the region.

According to a news release from the provincial government Tuesday morning (Nov. 28), accelerated advance work along the Highway 1 median east of 264th Street has begun, with work delivered by local companies including Kwantlen First Nation. People travelling Highway 1 will see crews in the median undertaking utility relocation, median soil removal, tree clearing and preloading of soil. This work will prepare the area between 264th Street and Mt. Lehman Road for the addition of high occupancy vehicle (HOV)/electric vehicle lanes and other multi-modal upgrades.

“The Fraser Valley is growing fast and we are building infrastructure that people need,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “People need to be able to get to work and back home without facing gridlock. We’re taking action to relieve congestion for drivers, to make goods movement more efficient and to accommodate more sustainable transportation options.”

The widening of Highway 1 between 264th Street and Mt. Lehman Road has an approved budget of $2.34 billion. This is Phase 3A of the Province’s Fraser Valley Highway 1 Corridor Improvement Program, a multi-phase program to improve goods movement and travel along Highway 1 in the Fraser Valley through the Sumas Prairie to Chilliwack.

The centrepiece of Phase 3A will be a new 264th Street Interchange, reconfigured to better serve road users in the region. The 264th Street area is highly travelled during morning and afternoon hours, including a high volume of commercial vehicles heading to and from the border crossing. Along with more efficient goods movement, the new interchange will include improvements for active transportation, truck parking and public transit. The new interchange is in procurement, with construction expected to begin in 2024.

Police investigation

AbbyPD looks to ID suspect possibly connected to fraud, credit card scams

13h ago

Dump truck driver busted

Fraser Valley dump truck driver garners 90-day ban for impaired driving: RCMP

13h ago

Woman sexually assaulted at Stanley Park

35-year-old man arrested after sexually assaulting, robbing a woman at Stanley Park: Vancouver PD

17h ago

The 264th Street Interchange and associated highway widening is one of the three major construction contracts that make up Phase 3A. The other contracts will be upgrades to the Mt. Lehman Interchange and 3.7 kilometres of highway widening, and replacement of the Bradner Road overpass with 3.9 kilometres of highway widening. These contracts will go to tender in 2024. Completion of Phase 3A is expected in 2029.

Work is underway on Phase 2 between 216th and 264th streets, with a new Glover Road overpass currently under construction and completion expected in summer 2024.

Two more tenders are on track for release, including a new interchange at 232nd Street and highway widening for HOV lanes, along with a replacement to the existing CP Rail overhead.

“People who live in our Fraser Valley communities rely on Highway 1 for more than just commuting. It’s also our connection to schools, sports, shopping and other social activities,” said Dan Coulter, Minister of State for Transit and Infrastructure and MLA for Chilliwack.