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.

The multi-year expansion of Fraser Highway will get much closer to completion following the construction of the northern Serpentine bridge, set to begin in August. Fraser Highway crosses the Serpentine River in Cloverdale near 176 St. The entire stretch through the Serpentine Flats has remained two lanes for years, despite the Highway’s four lanes in both Fleetwood and Clayton. This has created rush hour bottlenecks along the route.

The southern bridge was built at the end of last year, and traffic has since been rerouted onto that crossing. The old bridge to the north has been removed and will be rebuilt under a new million dollar contract. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of November. 50% of funding was provided by TransLink, while the remainder is being paid for by the City.

The entire upgrade will cost roughly $20 million. One third of the cost will be paid for by the Government of Canada, while another third will be funded through TransLink’s Minor Roads Capital Program. An additional contribution of $2.4 million was received as part of the Golden Ears Bridge project. The remainder will be paid for by the City.

The current two lane road is more than due for some TLC. The new 96th Ave will include a tree-lined median, bike lanes, sidewalks, and street lights, as well as several bio-swales to aid in the filtration of street water runoff.

“TransLink’s like the mafia — you can get in but you can’t get out and you  have to keep paying.”

Has Watts looked into options for Surrey to leave TransLink? It sounds like it.

“For the betterment of the region, (Gregor Robertson and I) should probably work on having a better working relationship.”

While it is known that Watts and Robertson operate on opposite sides of the political spectrum, and have previously butt heads on several issues, it is interesting to hear that they do not work together as closely as one might hope.

Dianne Watts says she will run for another term as Surrey mayor and prefers opportunity to build a city over provincial politics.

Watts had previously denied jumping into provincial politics, but as far as I know, this is her first official announcement of her intentions to run for the mayoralty next year, although it is hardly surprising.

Building Vancouver into a world-class city has been good for B.C., but we’re at the point where it has to stop being all about Vancouver — Watts.

Vancouver animosity has grown within the suburbs in recent years, especially within the Tri-Cities and the South of Fraser. It is obvious that a new regional relationship and balance between the core and the burbs will have to be developed within the next few years to ensure that the Metro remains competitive on the global stage. Unfortunately, based on Watts’ comments with regards to Vancouver Mayor Robertson, it does not seem as if Surrey is prepared to take the lead in shaping that regional future.

No question, transportation is THE biggest issue in Surrey, Watts says. Nearly 500,000 people, four SkyTrain stations.

Although it may be “the biggest issue,” Watts had little details to provide the live chat. Of the 17 questions posed, 4 were on transportation. Her responses to each were vague and sometimes contradictory:

Q: I hope you can speak out regarding the transportation in GVRD. This is important to Surrey.

A: Transportation continues to be a major issue for all communities south of the Fraser. We continue to work with TransLink and the provincial government to ensure the people south of the Fraser are served well.

Her response underlines Watts’ philosophy of partnerships. Rather than approach the transport deficiencies with a public outcry of dissent, she continues to prefer a cooperative and conciliatory method behind closed doors. While that approach has resulted in the expansion of some bus routes, with TransLink’s current budget woes, it is unlikely that Surrey will receive any further improvements in the near future without new funding agreements to ensure the City receives its fair share.

Q: You’re on record for supporting Light Rail in Surrey. I’m wondering what is being done to bring LRT to the City.

A: There is a significant lobby from south of the Fraser to use the existing interurban lines and light rail. Given Surrey’s vast size, we can have double the kilometres of track using light rail than we can have with SkyTrain.

Apparently, the only solid effort being made to improve transport is the work of rail supporters in the south Fraser. Unfortunately for the lobbyists, their work does not seem to have translated into political support. As you’ll see below, Watts no longer believes that Light Rail is the best option for the City.

Q: Why have we not pushed for the sky train to come up Fraser Highway and have a stop at 176th street?

A: We have been pushing for SkyTrain. The analysis is being done regarding routes currently. If you look at Fraser Highway, you will see an urban forest and down further, agricultural land. The thought is to densify around transportation corridors and you can’t do that within urban forest and agricultural land, so there is a challenge in that regard.

This was a common line by former Minister of Transport, Kevin Falcon, used to explain why he did not support the Interurban line. Overall though, it is a weak argument, as transport corridors, whether they are roads or rails, will undoubtedly travel through non-developable areas. This is even more of an issue in the south Fraser, as it is the location of most of the region’s agricultural land. These constrictions have not stopped us from building roads through these green zones however – why should rail transit be any different?

You can read the rest of the live chat archive over at The Province online.

As part of the long term City Centre land use plan under development, a recreational “Green Network” was proposed to facilitate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists in the area. The Green Network is a more than just bicycle ways though; it also incorporates natural habitat enhancement, sustainable stormwater management, placemaking through public art and historical markers, wayfinding, and street furniture. Among the projects:

• a pedestian priority core near City Hall and SFU
• an art walk along University Drive
• a history walk along the Quibble Creek Greenway
• a culture corridor along King George
• a series of new plazas and “pocket parks”
• a new “urban greenway” with separated bike paths along 105 A Ave
• higher quality greenways

Click on through for way more!

The plan outlines 5 priority projects to begin the Green Network:

1. The enhancement of King George Boulevard between 112 and 108 Ave. This section of the road acts as a gateway to the City Centre and will feature new trees and planting installations.

2. New high quality bike lanes installed along 100 Ave from City Parkway to the Quibble Creek Greenway. Within the “Urban Core” zone, the 1.5m bike lanes will be painted in a solid colour and features bike boxes at major intersections to give cyclists safe priority on the road.

3. 105A Ave, between 138 and 140 St, will be the first section built of this new east-west urban greenway. It will feature a 3m bikeway separated from traffic by both a 2m boulevard and a 1.5m planted zone.

4. 112 Ave is planned to eventually incorporate a separated bikeway along its northern edge. In the short term, to facilitate a safe cycling route, new bike lanes are to be painted along 140St north of 105A Ave, and continue along Hansen Road and 112 Ave to King George.

5. Quibble Creek Greenway, between 100 and 102 Ave, is flagged as a demonstration project that will set the new standard for greenways in the area. The pathway will be expanded to provide cyclists with a 3.5m section and pedestrians with a 1.5m zone. New shrub and trees will be planted along the route to enhancement the natural habitat. Other ideas include bird boxes, benches, a BMX bike park for kids, and a “nanotower” – a vertical green tower which provides new bird habitat and facilitates placemaking and wayfinding.

Check out all the plans below:

According to the City’s Engineering Dept. 10 Year Plan, Surrey will spend over half a billion years in the next decade on transportation infrastructure. Almost 90% of that money will be put into roads.

So much for “balanced” transportation.

If you’ve been following the progress of the City’s NCP areas through the years, you will have noticed a steady increase in the density of these massive redevelopment projects. Although surrounded by primarily single-family homes, Clayton has a number of mid-rise buildings near its commercial core (large in and of itself). Grandview, in South Surrey, incorporates many planning elements learned in Clayton, with an even larger commercial component, as well as so-called lifestyle urban centres, featuring mock Main Streets along mid-rise buildings.

Now, the large rural area between Tynehead and Port Kells is set to take density to a whole new level. As the last major parcel of land in the City that can be redeveloped, nearly the entire project will be medium densities or higher.

The staff report on the Tynehead-Anniedale NCP reveals the increased transport access as a major impetus for the redevelopment of the area. In other words, the Gateway Highway 1 expansion, as well as the Golden Ears Way/Golden Ears Bridge project have prompted this development effort.

Within the planning process, the City has approached both TransLink and the Ministry of Transporation to discuss changes to the road infrastructure. The City requested that the MoT plan to build a cloverleaf interchange at 96th Ave and 176 St, so that traffic could continuously flow, despite a massive increase in population, and thus cars, in the area. The request was denied because of the intersection’s proximity to the existing Hwy 1 interchange just north, which would raise safety concerns.

To TransLink, the City requested that they install new intersections along Golden Ears Way so that industrial parks could be built along the route. TransLink denied the request, stating that doing so would simply increase congestion along the route. Instead, the City has planned a significant commercial component to be built west of 176 St, along 96 Ave.

What frustrates and frightens me about this planning proposal is how inherently suburban sprawlish it truly is. Port Kells is so disconnected from the rest of the City right now, and consists of a tiny, rural population, much the same way most of Grandview is. What the City wants to do is massively increase the population is one of the most disconnected areas of Surrey, which will only increase traffic congestion on Highway 1 and the Golden Ears Bridge as there is no easy way to connect this area to transit anytime soon! For all the touting Council is doing about the Town Centres, this type of planning is in complete contradiction with urban, transit connected development. This is Sprawl 101 point blank. It’s sickening.

Mayor Dianne Watts and her husband were in a serious car accident Friday night while returning from an event.

Watts and her husband Brian were traveling in Surrey at just before 11 p.m., when another car ran a stop light, t-boning the mayor’s Cadillac.

The mayor suffered broken ribs and unspecified internal injuries and chest trauma. She was released from hospital at 4 a.m., but returned for on Saturday when she experienced internal bleeding.

She was expected to undergo a Computed Tomography (CT) Scan Saturday to examine the extent of the internal injuries.

Brian Watts suffered soft tissue injuries to his neck and shoulder from the accident.

The driver of the car that ran the red light broke several other bones in the accident.

TransLink recently presented an update on the Pattullo Bridge replacement to the City’s Transportation Committee. According to the report, the new bridge will be built north of the existing crossing, will be paid for through tolls, and connect to the under construction South Fraser Perimeter Road only on it’s west side. Apparently, most of the work on the project involves reconfiguration of the bridge and its road network in New Westminster, rather than in Surrey. The Pattullo is one of the oldest bridges in the region and has been the site of numerous accidents and deaths due to its narrow, pre-highway standard, lanes.

The City has resolved to support the Pattullo replacement project, so long as it includes:

• full connectivity to the SFPR
• Reconfiguration of the Scott Road/King George interchange to optimize traffic flow and free up developable lands
• Modify the 128th St and King George intersection as required to suit projected volumes, as well as the completion of 128th St between 104 Ave and King George
• Commitment to equity in regional tolling for the affected municipalities

If the bridge is introduced with tolls, it will be the third of all major Fraser River crossings near or in Surrey to face tolling. The recently completed Golden Ears Bridge, also a TransLink project, is tolled, and the Port Mann bridge replacement who’s construction is currently underway, is scheduled to open in 2013 with tolls.

The provincial government has maintained that all new crossings would be paid for through tolls, so long as an untolled alternative was available nearby for the public. However, while the Port Mann, Alex Fraser, and Massey Tunnel are provincial highways, both the Golden Ears and Pattullo bridges are owned and maintained by TransLink.

If the Pattullo is rebuilt as a tolled bridge, an interesting policy overlap will emerge, as the closest untolled option in Surrey would be the Alex Fraser in Delta and could alter traffic patterns significantly, depending on how many people wish to avoid paying to cross the river. Additionally, a financial burden will emerge onto residents of the South Fraser region, as they disproportionately pay more to move about the region, while residents in the North Shore or Richmond do not face tolls.

Hence why the City is quietly calling for a regional tolling strategy to ensure equity amongst municipalities in the region. We’ll see what happens.

The Province is reporting that a bus crashed into the Newton Wave Pool this afternoon. Nobody inside was hurt, though the driver sustained leg injuries.