Delta council is voicing objection to a plan by the City of Surrey to extend a major roadway from the Fraser Highway to 120th Street (Scott Road).
Delta's civic politicians on Monday agreed with a lengthy motion by Coun. Lois Jackson to have staff look at the potential traffic impacts of Surrey’s plan to connect 84th Avenue between King George Boulevard and 140th Street.
Surrey council on Monday also discussed their own staff recommendation to award contracts, valued at more than $450,000, for a preliminary design and public engagement to extend the road through the south side of the Bear Creek Park Reservation.
Surrey staff note a plan to complete another “missing segment” of 84th Avenue, between 124th and 128th streets will be completed through a separate short-term project.
Jackson described the plan to create a new “arterial highway’ between the Fraser Highway and 120th Street as “huge” for North Delta when it comes to traffic.
She said that when the plan originally came forward in 2009, the City of Delta expressed its opposition, pointing out Delta already has major arterial roadways from Surrey including Nordel Way and 72nd Avenue.
Mayor George Harvie agreed, saying they may not be able to stop Surrey from undertaking their own traffic pattern changes, but Delta has “every right to stop traffic entering Delta from Surrey.”
He added it’s important for Surrey council to understand “that’s not going to be just a straight drive-through coming through our community.”
A report to Surrey council, noting that city has limited east-west arterial roads, particularly in the central portion of the city, states that 84th Avenue has been identified as an arterial road on the city’s Road Classification Map since 1989.
It represents a critical east-west corridor alternative, with the least environmental and property impacts as there are only two segments unconstructed between 120th Street and Fraser Highway, the report notes, adding completion of the two missing road segments would provide a significant multi-modal transportation corridor and connectivity for the communities of Newton and Fleetwood.
“Since 2009, the City has grown by over 100,000 residents and severity of traffic collisions and congestion is becoming increasingly worse in the area of 88 Avenue and King George Boulevard, further necessitating the need for completing the remaining two segments of 84 Avenue, “ the Surrey report explains.
“The intersection at 88 Avenue and King George Boulevard is the worst rated intersection in Surrey with respect to number and severity of vehicular collisions, and it is rated the third highest intersection collision site in British Columbia. Over-capacity of 88 Avenue and King George Boulevard is one of the contributing factors related to the number of collisions that are occurring at this intersection. Completion of the 84 Avenue segment between King George Boulevard and 140 Street is expected to help improve traffic safety at the intersection of 88 Avenue and King George Boulevard.”
Also noting that various options have been explored to improve road safety, traffic congestion and connectivity between Fleetwood and Newton, the report adds that the completion of 84th Avenue between King George Boulevard and 140th Street aligns with improvements planned for the Bear Creek Park Athletics Centre.
Those upgrades include changes to the running track, field events areas, sports field and stadium facilities in the park.
