Highway 1 Corridor Improvement Program
Introduction
The Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure is undergoing the consultation & planning stages for a major capital investment project which will see Highway 1 corridor improvements through Langley & Abbotsford. This phase of the project spans 264 St (Highway 13) in the Township of Langley to Whatcom Road in Abbotsford. The Ministry is seeking public feedback as it determines the project's scope, noting that HOV lanes, truck climbing lanes & staging areas, interchange & underpass replacement & improvements, & infrastructure to support active transportation, public transit, electric vehicles, & car-sharing are being evaluated.
Background
For the full background and discussion details on the ministries Fraser Valley Highway 1 Corridor Improvement Program, please take a few minutes to read the discussion guide, which summarises the program, its objective, timelines, and the existing conditions on the corridor.
This Corridor Improvement Program with a completion date goal of 2026 is included in the Minister of State for Infrastructure, MLA Bowinn Ma’s mandate letter from the Premier, along with a mandate to fight Climate Change by achieving Clean BC’s goals, & to support the planning & development of key transit projects, which will bring clean transit with the expansion of rail up the Fraser Valley.
Through the province’s Clean BC & Active Transportation Strategies, BC has committed to drastic reductions in emissions from our transportation sector by phasing out the sale of new fossil fuel burning vehicles & shifting transportation mode choices from private vehicles to public transit, active transportation, & car-share programs with investments in infrastructure & programs to support these modes.
BC Transit, in partnership with the FVRD, Chilliwack & Abbotsford, currently provides bus service along the Highway 1 corridor with the #66 Fraser Valley Express Bus (FVX). The #66FVX runs from Downtown Chilliwack to the Carvolth transit exchange at 202 St in the Township of Langley, with expansion plans to extend it to the Lougheed Town Centre Skytrain Station.
Safe, direct, & continuous active transportation facilities providing east-west connection both between & within Langley Township & Abbotsford are limited, with none providing an “All Ages & Abilities” (AAA) facility anywhere near the Highway 1 corridor.
Recommendations
Bike Abbotsford makes the following recommendations & requests that you consider these recommendations when completing your feedback survey to the ministry.
Public Transit:
Provide financial support & mandate for increased service frequency on the BC Transit #66FVX Bus Service
Provide dedicated bus lanes that do not cause transit vehicles to compete with increasing number of private motor vehicles authorised in HOV2/ZEV lanes
Implement transit priority & exchange improvements at key interchanges including Gloucester, Mt Lehman, McCallum, Highway 11, & Whatcom Road
Engage in consultation with private transportation & tour operators in order to ensure seamless integrated connections for these transportation services with public & active transportation, including access to key transportation hubs
Re-activate passenger rail service on the former BCER rail line with zero-emission hydrogen rail transit vehicles, in addition to dedicated Highway 1 bus lanes & increased #66FVX service, or provide direct zero emission hydrogen rail passenger service on the Highway 1 corridor
Develop an integrated fare system between all Fraser Valley & Metro Vancouver transit & transportation services, similar to the ORCA system in Seattle
Provide secure bicycle lockers & parkades at transit exchanges & park / ride facilities, with charging stations for electric assist bicycles
Work with BC Transit & Translink to implement bus bike racks with a 3 bike capacity, increased from the current capacity of 2
Active Transportation:
Provide an All Ages & Abilities active transportation corridor adjacent to Highway 1, extending west & connecting with existing infrastructure at Glover Road & on to the Carvolth Transit Exchange. For an example of this type of facility (occasionally referred to as a Cycle Highway), see the Lochside Trail in the Capital Regional District, or the BC Parkway & Central Valley Greenway in Metro Vancouver. These facilities not only provide safe AAA facilities within communities, but enable safe active travel between them, an objective of BC’s Active Transportation Strategy
Designate the existing shoulders on 264 St from Highway 1 to the Canada / USA Border Crossing as a bicycle route, & provide minor shoulder improvements north of 32nd Ave, as well as a safe connection through the intersection at Fraser Highway
Provide separated active transport facilities on the 264 St interchange, Clearbrook Road overpass, and Peardonville Road overpass
Provide active transportation improvements throughout the Mt Lehman interchange, including AAA facilities across the Highway 1 overpass, connecting the High Street Pathway to Fraser Highway, extending the High Street Pathway to Bluejay Street by replacing the ministry sidewalk on Fraser Highway with a shared-path, a connection to Matsqui Place, and completion of the bike lanes on Mt. Lehman Road between South Fraser Way & Blueridge Drive
Provide a new active transport path on the Highway 11 corridor north from the Highway 1 interchange to South Fraser Way & Gladys, and east to Delair Road
Provide an integrated & standardised cycling wayfinding system across all new facilities, in line with modern best practices
Provide Active Transportation Rest Areas along the corridor, including all appropriate amenities such as wayfinding information, bicycle racks and repair stands, shaded / sheltered resting areas including benches or picnic tables, water bottle filling stations, & restrooms
Complete the Survey
Thank you for taking the time to read about this project & our recommendations. We now ask that you consider Bike Abbotsford’s recommendations & provide feedback to the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure that will help us reach our shared transportation, road safety, and climate goals together.
Please complete the survey before July 6th, 2021.
In addition to the survey, you can provide an email or letter to the ministry at the following addresses:
Email
Click the email address link to open a pre-filled draft email, which you can customise as you require, or write your own: HWY1FV@gov.bc.ca
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
310-1500 Woolridge, Coquitlam, BC, V3K 0B8
Attention: Fraser Valley Highway 1 Corridor Improvement Program
Links:
MOTI Project Page
MOTI Discussion Guide
Minister of State for Infrastructure Mandate
Survey