Business groups urge expedited Highway 1 widening to Fraser Valley

Business groups urge expedited Highway 1 widening from Metro Vancouver to Fraser Valley

Existing four-lane configuration of Highway 1 between Langley and Abbotsford. (Government of BC)

In a show of solidarity, four major organizations representing business and economic development interests in the easternmost areas of the Lower Mainland are calling for the Government of British Columbia to expedite the long-planned widening of Highway 1 between Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

This includes the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce, Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce.

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This is in response to the provincial government’s newly released design plans for the Highway 1 upgrade over a 21-km-long segment between the 264th Street interchange in Langley Township and Highway 11 (Sumas Way) in Abbotsford. Currently, this upgrade is planned to be conducted in two different phases — phases 3A and 3B.

The design for phase 3A will be finalized in 2024, at which point major construction will also begin. The bidding process for a major contractor will begin this month.

Phase 3B would be finalized and built at a later date.

highway 1 langley abbotsford fraser valley

Highway 1 improvement project between eastern Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. (Government of BC)

However, the organizations are calling on the provincial government to expedite and invest in the Highway 1 corridor expansion as soon as possible. They are pushing for the BC Ministry of Transportation to complete the widening as soon as possible, including speeding up preloading, design, planning, procurement, and other timelines and schedules.

The plan for phases 3A and 3B entails widening the existing four-lane highway to up to 10 lanes in some areas, including HOV/battery-electric car lanes, bus-only lanes on the shoulder, and truck-climbing lanes in some areas in both directions, along with major improvements to the interchanges, a bus transit hub and park-and-ride, and commercial vehicle rest areas.

“Abbotsford’s business community is growing and plays an essential role in the region, being home to the Abbotsford International Airport, University of the Fraser Valley, and other regional assets,” said Alex Mitchell, CEO of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, in a statement.

“Key transportation infrastructure has fallen behind, making this one of the top economic issues facing our community. Getting Highway 1 expanded with better underpasses, more lanes, and now the inclusion of high-efficiency transit options is of critical importance.”

Preliminary design concept for the widened Highway 1 segment between 264 Street interchange and Mt. Lehman Road interchange (Phase 3A). (Government of BC)

Preliminary design concept for the widened Highway 1 segment between Mt. Lehman Road interchange and Highway 11 interchange (Phase 3B). (Government of BC)

Preliminary design concept for the 264 Street interchange with Highway 1 in Langley. (Government of BC)

highway 1 highway 11 abbotsford interchange

Preliminary design concept for the Highway 11 interchange with Highway 1 in Abbbotsford. (Government of BC)

Highway 1 in the Lower Mainland has been progressively widened since the late 2000s, with the Gateway Project widening the freeway from the easternmost border of Vancouver, throughout Burnaby, and well into Surrey, including the 2012 opening of the replacement Port Mann Bridge.

Over the past decade, consecutive Highway 1 widening projects have picked up from where the original Gateway Project left off in Surrey

In late 2021, construction began on Phase 2, which is the $345 million, 10-km-long freeway improvement segment to the west between the 216th Street interchange and 264th Street interchange within Langley Township.

A widening of Highway 1 from Highway 11 (Sumas Way) in Abbotsford to deep into Chilliwack — further east beyond the future Phase 3B segment — is planned over the longer term, but the provincial government states it requires further design and planning work to ensure it is resilient against flooding. This segment was submerged during the devastating flooding of the Sumas Prairie in late 2021.

Over 80,000 vehicles use Highway 1 between eastern Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley on a daily basis, including significant commercial vehicle and truck volumes, and recreational and tourist traffic to the BC Interior and beyond. The population of the Fraser Valley is also expected to grow by nearly 50% by 2050.

Construction on Highway 1 in Langley near 248th Street. (Google Maps)

“A strong and healthy BC economy relies heavily on a vibrant, thriving, efficient trucking industry to keep that economy moving,” said Leanna Kemp, executive director of the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce.

“Widening Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley is essential to ensuring safety, reliability, and efficiency for our truck transportation and commuters in and out of the Lower Mainland.”

BC Transit’s No. 66 Fraser Valley Express between SkyTrain Lougheed Town Centre Station in Burnaby and downtown Chilliwack will benefit greatly from the new bus-only lanes in both directions, and the transit hub and 180 park-and-ride car parking stalls.

In 2020, the provincial government launched a new transportation and development study for the Fraser Valley that is centred on exploring the possibility of expanding commuter rail. The findings and recommendations of the study have yet to be released.

TransLink’s Transport 2050 plan also calls for utilizing Highway 1 for new and improved interregional services reaching Chilliwack, and potential improvements to the West Coast Express.

Municipal leaders in the Fraser Valley also previously suggested building light rail transit or commuter rail along the Highway 1 median between Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

East-west interregional transportation options will improve in 2028, when the 16-km-long SkyTrain Expo Line extension reaching Langley Centre opens. The Expo Line’s new easternmost terminus station is expected to become a major transit hub for bus services, including routes serving the remaining journey for some Fraser Valley destinations.

Over the years, the Surrey Board of Trade has also made repeat suggestions that the new replacement Pattullo Bridge should be built to a six-lane standard on opening day in 2024 instead of the current configuration being built of a four-lane configuration, with the possibility of a future widening of two more lanes to six lanes.

Adanac Street overpass view of Highway 1 between Vancouver and Burnaby. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

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