By rosebell
In order to designing and building the Fraser River Tunnel project in British Columbia, the Cross Fraser Partnership has been named the preferred bidder and the consortium comprises Bouygues Construction Canada, Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas Canada Ltd, Pomerleau BC Inc, and Arcadis Canada Inc.
As a replace for 65-year-old George Massey Tunnel, the new eight-lane Fraser River Tunnel will be an immersed tube tunnel with three general-purpose travel lanes and a dedicated public transit lane in each direction, whereas a separate multi-use path for walking, cycling and other active transport, will also be its contents.
According to Minister of transportation and infrastructure Rob Fleming: “The selection was a huge step for the project. With this team in place, we can finalise the project design and ready it for construction, helping us improve travel for people moving along Highway 99 between Richmond and Delta.”
Currently the project is going to enter the development phase, which includes collaboration on the tunnel design and agreement on project costs and risks between the Province and Cross Fraser Partnership, while the final design and cost submission will culminate in a design-build agreement.
While the scheduled date for commencing major construction is 2026,h te environmental assessment will continue in parallel with the development of the project design and early works.
For improving the travel conditions, the Province is delivering several improvements along Highway 99 in advance of tunnel construction. As transit and cycling upgrades are already complete, the Steveston Interchange Project will reach a key landmark this year with construction of the first half of the new interchange.
The date that crews started erecting the 21 concrete girders that will support the first half of the new interchange was June 2024 and Steveston Highway traffic is then due to move on to the new structure so the old overpass can be removed and work can begin on the second segment. The Steveston Interchange Project is on schedule for completion next year.
