Image: Drive BC / Clogged Highway 1 traffic in Langley is shown in the image from Drive BC. The provincial government is planning a series of upgrades to Highway 1 between Langley and Abbotsford, including widening the highway and reconfiguring the 264 Street interchange. The public is invited to comment on the forthcoming upgrades.
Highway 1 widening, upgrades

Province planning long overdue widening, upgrades of Hwy. 1 from Langley to Abbotsford

Aug 2, 2023 | 2:54 PM

CHILLIWACK — The provincial government is inviting the public to weigh in on the long overdue expansion and related upgrades of Highway 1 between Langley and Abbotsford.

In a news release from the BC government Wednesday, the provincial government says motorists in the Fraser Valley stand to benefit from the widening of Highway 1 between Langley and Abbotsford, along with long-awaited interchange improvements to 264 Street. The public is invited to comment on the forthcoming upgrades.

“I know that travelling around Fraser Valley communities is increasingly difficult, given the traffic volume on Highway 1,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “We’re working to address these concerns by focusing on improvements, like widening to accommodate high-occupancy vehicles and transit, and better, more accessible interchanges to make it easier and quicker for people to get where they need to go.”

Based on public feedback received during earlier engagement, this next phase of Highway 1 expansion would include high-occupancy vehicle and transit lanes, more commercial-vehicle parking facilities, and a section of multi-use pathway parallel to the highway. Details are available in an online discussion guide, along with information about how to share comments and ask questions.

This expansion of Highway 1 will also tie into a new 264 Street interchange, which will be reconfigured to better serve road users in the region. A request for qualifications will be issued this summer for the 264 Street interchange project, which would include facilities to improve active transportation, truck parking and public transit in the area.

Chilliwack MLA Dan Coulter acknowledged the difficulty that many Fraser Valley motorists face when they travel the heavily clogged highway between Abbotsford and Langley, something the province could have anticipated years ago due to population increases in the fast-growing Fraser Valley. Traffic bottlenecks often arise westbound between Mount Lehman (exit 83) and 264 Street (exit 73) as the highway only has two lanes.

“Many people from the Fraser Valley face lengthy daily commutes along Highway 1,” Coulter said. “Upgrades to the highway between Langley and the Sumas Prairie will keep goods moving smoothly, while allowing for more reliable transit to make it faster and easier for people to get to and from work, so they can spend more time with their families.”

Following the impact of the 2021 floods to highways in the Fraser Valley, improvements to the Sumas Prairie, segmented by various phases, are being considered.

To advance the phase between 264 Street and Highway 11, pre-construction work will begin this summer along the highway median between 264 Street and Peardonville Road. This will include the removal of soil berms along five kilometres of highway median east of 264 Street, and placement of soil in other areas where needed in advance of future highway expansion.

Phase 3A will include improvements and widening along a 13-km length of Highway 1 between 264 Street and the Mount Lehman Road interchange (exit 83).

Phase 3B includes improvements along an 8-km stretch of Highway 1 from Mount Lehman Road to Highway 11 (exit 92).

East of Highway 11, any future improvements will address the need for infrastructure to be more resilient to a changing climate, the province said in a statement.

A multi-agency response involving First Nations, local government, the province and the federal government is underway to develop a regional flood-mitigation strategy. In parallel, an integrated planning process will identify future highway improvements compatible with the regional flood mitigation strategy through the Sumas Prairie.

Improvements to Highway 1 between 216 Street and the Sumas Prairie are part of the Fraser Valley Highway 1 Corridor Improvement Program, the province’s strategy to improve Highway 1 in the Fraser Valley to better serve the growing region and more than 80,000 motorists who use the highway every day.

For a discussion guide and information about how to share comments and ask questions about this project, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/264toHighway11