A major highway improvement project in Delta is nearing completion.
That’s what the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said earlier this week regarding the Highway 91/17 Upgrade Project, with all lanes now open on the Highway 91 at Nordel Way interchange.
The opening of the final interchange to full capacity is seen as a major milestone.
“A faster commute on safe, high-quality roads is important to Delta and the surrounding communities,” said Delta MP Carla Qualtrough, Federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, on behalf of Dominic Leblanc, federal Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, in a news release.
“Our government's investments to improve the quality of our roads and traffic flow will help save time for residents south of the Fraser River. We will continue to work with our municipal and provincial partners to make improvements to our infrastructure and, in turn, improving the quality of life for all residents of Delta.”
The interchange at Highway 91 and Nordel Way is the last of four interchanges included in the project. The first interchange, at River Road and Highway 17, opened to traffic in December 2021, followed by the Highway 91 Connector and Nordel Way and Highway 17 and Highway 91 Connector interchanges this past summer.
Minor construction work remains, including asphalt repairs and paving on the River Road and Highway 17 interchange in spring 2023.
In an interview with the Optimist last year, Bowinn Ma, B.C.’s Minister of State for Infrastructure, said it’s a project aimed at improving safety for people and support the growing economic and trade development that’s happening south of the Fraser River.
“This is a series of road and highway upgrades that will improve travel time and also provide a more reliable route through Delta for not just local residents, but commercial truck drivers, transit operators, first responders and other travellers as well. We’re seeing the growth in economic activity around the port and what that means is a lot of the existing infrastructure is no longer sufficient or appropriate for handling the kinds of movements that we’re seeing through that area.”
Funding partners include the Government of Canada through the National Infrastructure component of the New Building Canada Fund, the Province of British Columbia and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
The $5.2-million 27B Avenue upgrades component of the project is also complete. It was funded by the Tsawwassen First Nation and the Government of Canada.
