A new pedestrian overpass crossing Hwy 99 in South Surrey is now under construction. The $2.4 million project is expected to be complete by December. Funding for the project is being split three ways between the City, the Province, and the Federal Government. The overpass is part of the Pioneer Greenway, a separated multi-use pathway that will eventually connect South Surrey to the Peace Arch border crossing. It will also facilitate the connection of Grandview Heights to the Semiahmoo Trail and to a planned, long term seawall that will continue along the shores of the Semiahmoo Peninsula. The arch design was chosen over the stress ribbon concept, which evoked a suspension bridge look.

Darts Hill Garden, one of the hidden highlights of Surrey tucked away in Grandview, is set to get a major expansion. The City has recently acquired properties to the north and east of the existing Garden and hope to partner with Kwantlen Polytechnic to open a horticultural school on the site. Exploring the possibilities for Darts Hill, a committee recently completed a preliminary master plan for the park, with their ideas viewable below. According to the City,

Darts Hill Garden Park is the long-time family home of Edwin and Fancisca Darts. In 1993 the property was given by the Darts to the City of Surrey creating a ‘life estate’, with the City contributing financially to the upkeep of the gardens. The gardens include a broad range of horticultural specimens and are lovingly cared for by the Darts Hill Society and the Parks, Recreation, and Culture Department.

Kensington Prairie Community Centre is a retrofit of a historic elementary school in South Surrey. The facility is meant to provide a cheap, short term civic facility for the growing area of Grandview and Morgan Heights. The historic building was built in 1914 and was preserved as a civic facility thanks to several years of lobbying by the local community. The upgraded facility is set to provide multi-purpose community meeting space, general leisure and arts activities, as well as early childhood learning programming. It is planned to open in June at a cost of $1.4 million.

TransLink is holding a series of consultations to gather stakeholder opinion on the future of rapid transit in Surrey and Langley. The goal of the study is to determine the corridors and technologies for rapid transit in the South Fraser area.

Ironically enough, despite a commitment to a “comprehensive and open process”, the following meetings have not been posted on TransLink’s website. How they determine who is a stakeholder and who is not is unknown. I for one believe we are all stakeholders in our collective future, and thus am posting the information below.

Be sure to drop in and let your voice be heard on the future of rapid transit in our region.

Thursday, March 11

6:30p to 8p

Cloverdale BIA Boardroom

#202 17687 56A Ave

Monday, March 15

10a to 11:30a

Langley City Hall CKF Room

20399 Douglas Crescent

Wednesday, March 17

6:30p to 8p

Kwantlen University Surrey Campus Room 1240 Cedar Building

12666 72 Ave

Thursday, March 18

2p to 3:30p

South Surrey Rec Centre

14601 20th Ave

Tuesday, March 23

1p to 2:30p

Guildford Rec Centre

15105 105th Ave

Thursday, March 25

2p to 3:30p

Fleetwood Community Centre Boardroom

15996 84th Ave

Tuesday, March 30

3p to 4:30p

Downtown Surrey BIA

#300 10524 King George

From the desk of the City Manager comes a new capital infrastructure program named Build Surrey which has the intention of encouraging “city building”. The program will help Surrey facilitate and manage more growth over the coming decade and continue developing the City Centre into a major regional hub. It’s also described as a proactive approach to building infrastructure, rather than the reactive measures in the past, which have resulted in recreation centres being built many years after a new community is established (one need only look at Clayton or Grandview which both lack community centres).

The capital projects are intended to be built throughout the next six years. Most are already funded through the five year capital plan; however, those missing from current financial plans will be added next year. Funding for Build Surrey will come from general revenues, NCP amenity contributions, grants from other governments, developer contributions and loans from the Municipal Finance Authority.

As mentioned, most projects below were already planned for the short term. Build Surrey simply repackages them into one program, and adds a couple more to the pot. The major new projects consist of two swimming pools – one for Guildford and one in South Surrey – as well as a new community arts space in South Surrey.

Hopefully the new “proactive” approach will help prevent major delays in the provision of recreational infrastructure that have plagued the city for decades. For example, the newly promised Guildford Pool, scheduled for completion in 2014, was initially included in the 2003 Capital Plan, with the intention of completion by 2007. Another good example is the Cloverdale Multi-Purpose Rec Centre, now under construction and scheduled to open next year. That project was first included in the 2005 Capital Plan and was planned to be open in 2008.

The entire list of projects is after the jump.

Newton

New Artificial Turf Field and Seating at Newton Athletic Park (2010-2011)
In partnership with Kwantlen Polytechnic University a new artificial turf field will be installed at the Newton Athletic Park and will include grandstand seating for 500 people, lighting for night use and a digital score board and game clock.

New Recreation Facilities in Newton Athletic Park (2010-2016)
Newton Athletic Park remains one of the City’s most well used outdoor recreation venues offering an array of recreational opportunities. The City will construct on an annual basis additional recreational amenities in Newton Athletic Park including volley ball courts, children’s’ play area, additional parking facilities, etc.

New Artificial Turf Field at Tamanawis Park (2011)
A second artificial turf field will be installed at Tamanawis Park that will be focused on providing additional field hockey capacity to meet the growing demand in this area.

Relocation of the Newton Bus Exchange (2011-2012)
The Newton Transit Bus Exchange on 72 Avenue at the north end of the Newton Wave Pool will be relocated to a new location on King George Boulevard south of 72 Avenue to provide additional capacity to accommodate the growing transit ridership in and through Newton and to reflect the opportunities available within the Newton Town Centre to create a vibrant pedestrian-oriented environment.

New Newton District Police Station (2011-2012)
A new building will be constructed in the vicinity of the new Newton Transit Exchange to house the RCMP Newton District Police Station fronting King George Boulevard.

New Newton Fitness Facility (2012-2013)
A significantly expanded fitness facility will be constructed at the Newton Recreation Centre/Wave Pool to better meet the demands of the continuing growth in Newton.

West Newton Community Park Development (2012-2013)
The community park in West Newton will be developed to support the rapidly growing population in the West Newton community. The development will include both passive and active areas including, among other recreational amenities, a cricket field.

Cloverdale

New Cloverdale Recreation Centre Including Multi-purpose recreation space, Three Gymnasiums, Seniors Space and a Fitness Facility (2010-2011):
This project with a floor area of 65,000 sq. ft. is being constructed on the east side of 176 Street at 62A Avenue adjacent to the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. It will contain gymnasiums, multi-purpose rooms, a fitness facility, seniors programming space, etc. It will serve the community of the rapidly growing communities of Cloverdale and Clayton.

Cloverdale Greenway Trails and North Creek Bridge (2010-2011)
The Cloverdale Greenway multi-use and a new bridge across North Creek will be constructed to accommodate the growing demand for passive recreational opportunities in Cloverdale.

New Amenities at Clayton Park (2012-2013)
New amenities will be constructed at Clayton Park to provide new opportunities for recreational programming at this park to meet the needs of the growing Clayton population.

South Surrey

New South Surrey Fitness Facility (2010-2011)
A new fitness facility will be added to the South Surrey Recreation Centre to provide service to the growing South Surrey community.

Kensington Prairie Community Centre (2010)
The former Kensington Prairie School will be converted to a multi-purpose community centre to serve the growing communities of Morgan Creek, Rosemary Heights and Grandview.

Kwomais Point Park Building Renovations (2010-2011))
The existing Sanford Hall and Kwomais Lodge buildings in Kwomais Point Park in South Surrey will be renovated to the provide for recreation programming and community use space.

New Fire hall No. 14 in Grandview (2010-2011)
A new “full time” fire hall will be constructed in Grandview that will replace the existing “volunteer” hall and will provide enhanced fire and emergency services to the communities of South Cloverdale, Grandview Heights, Hazelmere valley, Douglas and Campbell Heights.

New South Surrey Swimming Pool (2011-2013)
This will be the second swimming pool in the South Surrey area to provide service to this rapidly growing community and will relieve some of the high demand currently being experienced at the existing South Surrey Pool.

Community Arts Space (2015)
An addition to the South Surrey Recreation Centre will provide arts-related programming space to serve the active and growing arts community.

Fleetwood

New Fleetwood Recreation Centre Gymnasiums (2013-2014)
A pair of gymnasiums will be added to the Fleetwood Recreation Centre to allow for a broader range of recreation programming to be offered in Fleetwood. These gymnasiums will complement those that are already in place at the Guildford Recreation Centre and those that are currently being constructed in the new Cloverdale Recreation Centre.

New Arena at the Surrey Sport and Leisure Complex (2015-2016)
A fourth sheet of ice will be added to the Surrey Sport and Leisure Complex to add capacity to accommodate arena-related recreational programming.

Guildford

New Guildford Swimming Pool (2013-2015)
This pool will be added to the Guildford Recreation Centre complex and will serve the north Surrey area, particularly the communities of Guildford and Fraser Heights. It will complement the service being provided by the pool at the North Surrey Recreation Centre and the pool at the Surrey Sport and Leisure Complex.

New Artificial Turf Field at Hjorth Road Park (2012)
A second artificial turf field will be installed at Hjorth Road Park to complement that recently installed artificial turf field and provide additional capacity to accommodate the growing demand for outdoor field programming.

Fraser Heights

New Fraser Heights Recreation Centre Fitness Facility and Gymnasium (2010-2011)
A new fitness facility and gymnasium will be added to the Fraser Heights Recreation Centre to serve the citizens of the rapidly growing community of Fraser Heights.

City Centre

New City Centre Flagship Library (2010-2011)
The construction of a new flagship central library in Surrey City Centre with a floor area of 75,000 sq. ft. will act as the hub for Surrey library services. The project is being cost shared with the Federal and Provincial governments. It will add vibrancy to the Surrey City Centre and be a significant new iconic building in the physical profile of City Centre. It will act as a gathering place for the City’s citizens and serve all age groups.

New City Centre Covered Youth Park (2010)
A new covered outdoor youth park will be constructed in City Centre next door to the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre to provide additional opportunities for outdoor recreation programming for youth, particularly during wet weather.

Parking Facility in City Centre (2010-2013)
The City will be investing in the construction of an underground parking facility in City Centre that will provide parking for the new library and City Hall projects and will have capacity to support additional private sector development in the City Centre area as well. This additional capacity will be sold to private sector development on a fee for service basis such that the City will recover its investment over time. The provision of structure parking on a fee basis will assist in encouraging private sector investment in City Centre since the provision of parking is often an impediment to development. The parking facility will be managed by a Parking Authority on a cost recovery basis (i.e., both capital and operating). A separate report will be forwarded to Council with more detail on this project and on the establishment and operation of the Surrey Parking Authority.

New City Hall in City Centre (2010-2013)
To demonstrate its commitment to and to add vitality and energy to the Surrey City Centre, the City has committed to constructing a new City Hall in Surrey City Centre. The City Hall, projected to have a floor area of approximately 165,000 sq. ft., will act as a catalyst for development in City Centre by adding a high activity use and by creating additional physical profile for the City Centre area. The new City Hall is currently being designed and is expected to proceed to construction by year-end 2010 or early 2011.

City-wide

New Pedestrian and Cycling Trails and Bridges (2010-2015)
In addition to other specific greenway multi-use pathways referenced in this program, to ensure an active and healthy population, the City will be constructing 20 km of multi-use (pedestrian/cycling) trails throughout the City including at least 2 pedestrian/cyclist bridges linking communities across highways and ravines.

New Addition to the RCMP Main Detachment Building (2010-2011)
A 35,000 sq. ft. building is being constructed next door to the Main RCMP Detachment in Newton to house the growing number of policemen that are being hired to serve Surrey’s growing population and businesses. The building will house many of the 641 RCMP members that currently serve the City and others that will be added in future years to ensure the continued safety of Surrey’s communities and businesses.

New artificial turf fields (2013-2015)
Demand for soccer and other field activities continue to grow in Surrey as the City’s population increases. Two new artificial turf fields, in addition to those described specifically within this summary, will be constructed to address the growing demand for outdoor field space. These fields will be constructed at athletic parks in the City at locations still to be determined.

Parkland Acquisition
The City will continue to acquire both active and passive parkland across the City to support the environmental objectives of the City and the demands of growth including land that needs to be acquired to accommodate the other capital projects listed in this summary.

In perhaps one of the oddest stimulus projects announced, Surrey will receive a combined $13 million from the federal and provincial governments to build a northbound rapid bus lane along Hwy 99, between King George and Hwy 91. Stimulus projects have short term, fixed completion dates attached their funding, meaning the rapid bus lane will likely be completed in the near future.

This particular project is a questionable investment considering the lack of need or current demand for a designated bus lane on the route, especially as funding recently collapsed for the King George B-Line, putting that more essential transit link on hiatus.

There are currently a couple of TransLink highway coaches running up and down Hwy 99, connecting White Rock and South Surrey to the Canada Line at Bridgeport station. The route’s primary rush hour congestion occurs at the choke point of the Massey Tunnel. Strategic bus-only lanes have been built in the past few years near the river crossing, allowing transit to pass the lineups and merge near the tunnel’s entrance, reducing delays for bus riders.

The Hwy 99 is one of several “Rapid Bus” links included in the 2008 Provincial Transit Plan. According to the Plan, “Rapid Bus” can include:

• modern, efficient, high capacity vehicles, which are easy to board, quiet, clean and comfortable to ride
• contemporary, conveniently located bus stations with nearby amenities
• seamless integration with other transit options and coordination with cycling and walking infrastructure
• separate lanes on all or some parts of routes
• use of high occupancy vehicle lanes
• signal priority and queue jumping provisions
• effective security measures

View Surrey Engineering Plans in a larger map

The plan includes some critical pieces of the network, including the continued four laning of King George Boulevard between Hwy 10 and Hwy 99, as well as the widening of 96 Ave from 152 St to 168 St, a regional road that now connects to the Golden Ears Bridge.

The expansion of 64th Ave, from 177 St to 184 St, will be a much appreciated widening for the residents of Cloverdale, and the expansion of 160 St from 88 Ave to Fraser Hwy will help define Fleetwood Town Centre as it builds out. The continuation of Whalley Boulevard north of Grosvenor Road has been viewed as an essential connection for the City Centre. Meanwhile, as Clayton continues to develop, the 192 St diversion will aid in diffusing traffic in that area.

The plan also includes what is sure to be contentious road expansion to many community members. The last stretch of Fraser Hwy yet to widened to four lanes is the section through Green Timbers, part of which is to be completed in this short term plan (138 St to 96 Ave).

Perhaps even more controversial however is the proposal to fasttrack the extension of 84 Ave through Bear Creek Park. That road extension, brought up numerous times through the years by the Engineering Department, has continuously been turned down by Council due to enormous public outrage. Most recently the road was put on hold in 2009 after extensive campaigning by the community. It appears as though the politicians didn’t hear them.

Arch concept

Stress Ribbon concept

Parklette design concept

As part of the Roberts Bank Rail Corridor upgrade, three new railway overpasses will be built in Surrey at 152 St, 192 St, and 196 St. The design contract has been awarded to Trillium Business Strategies for $1.7 million. They are expected to be built and in operation by 2014.

Highway overpass

The transportation committee has endorsed a plan to build a 20th Ave overpass in South Surrey. It would extend the road over Highway 99. They are currently overpasses at 32 Ave, 24 Ave, 16 Ave, and 8 Ave. It is a long term plan and not expected to be built in the immediate term. The 16 Ave and 24 Ave overpasses are likely to be widened and have freeway ramps installed prior to any construction of the 20th Ave overpass.

Pedestrian overpasses

Associated Engineering Limited has been awarded a contract of $522,000 for the design of two pedestrian and cycling overpasses. The Tynehead overpass will cross Highway 1, connecting 168 St, and the Pioneer Greenway overpass will cross Highway 99 at Winter Crescent. These projects are part of the largest ever bicycle expansion program underway by the City, and were funded in part by the Build Canada program which requires construction to be complete by March 2011. Design is expected to finished by spring, at which point a build contract will be awarded.