Bidding process begins for new replacement George Massey Tunnel

Conceptual depiction of the new replacement George Massey Tunnel. (Government of BC)

The provincial government has commenced the bidding process to seek a contractor to design and build the new replacement crossing for the George Massey Tunnel.

Launched last month, the request for qualifications (RFQ) stage invites consortiums to express their interest in bidding for the main project of building the new eight-lane, immersed tube tunnel under the Fraser River between Richmond and Delta.

A shortlist of up to three qualified consortiums will be announced in October 2023, and they will be invited to proceed into the request for proposals (RFP) stage, which seeks detailed bid proposals from the proponents.

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The RFP submission deadline is January 2024 and the successful proponent will be announced the following month. Construction would begin in Fall 2025 for an opening of the tunnel in 2030.

The new replacement tunnel forms the main component of the overall $4.15 billion Highway 99 Tunnel Program, with some of its minor components already completed or well under construction.

This includes the completion of the Bridgeport Road bus connection for the southbound direction onto Highway 99, and the expected completion this summer of bus-on-shoulder lanes on Highway 99. Major construction activities on the new Steveston Highway interchange with five vehicle lanes began in Summer 2022, and it is expected to reach completion in 2025.

As for the main contract to build a new replacement tunnel, it will include a major component of building an approximately 350-metre-long bridge across Deas Slough at the south end of the tunnel — replacing the existing bridge across the southernmost channel of the Fraser Bridge, south of Deas Island. This bridge forms the link between the southern end of the tunnel and Highway 99 in Delta.

Artistic rendering of the new eight-lane immersed tunnel replacement for the George Massey Tunnel. (Government of BC)

Artistic rendering of the new eight-lane immersed tunnel replacement for the George Massey Tunnel. (Government of BC)

The new immersed tunnel itself will be about 800 metres long, with four vehicle lanes in each direction, including a bus-only lane for each direction. Within the centre of the roadway directions, there will be a separate tunnel for a dedicated multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists.

Currently, in the existing tunnel, there is no multi-use pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, and the provincial government operates a free shuttle between both ends of the tunnel to provide cyclists with a safe passage across.

This project will also create a new general vehicle lane on Highway 99’s southbound direction between the Westminster Highway interchange in Richmond and the Highway 17 interchange in Delta.

According to the provincial government, the new tunnel and approaches will enable vehicle traffic to flow smoothly at 80 km/hr, unlike the current average of 30 km/hr with the existing four-lane tunnel, which is controlled by a counterflow system, with just one lane in the non-peak direction at peak hours.

Construction on the new tunnel is not expected to begin until the provincial government’s environmental assessment process for the project reaches completion, which is expected in early 2025 after a 3.5-year-long process that first began in Summer 2021.

The main contractor will also be responsible for decommissioning the existing 1959-built, seismically vulnerable tunnel.

The provincial government has indicated the new tunnel will have a new name. The existing tunnel, named after former Delta MLA Nehemiah George Massey, who advocated for the construction of the existing tunnel, was ceremoniously opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

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