Cloverdale arena project put on pause over unstable soil

Unstable soil has forced a Surrey mega project to be put on hold.

The City of Surrey is building a new arena at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, which will eventually include two new sheets of ice.

However, after the land was cleared, city crews determined the soil wasn’t as stable as expected and that more geotechnical work is needed before the building can actually start.

Councillor Bruce Hayne says it’s also back to the drawing board for more detailed design work.

“The project isn’t being scaled at all, it’s not being scaled back. It’s exactly how it was announced. It’s just in the details of the engineering, is my understanding, to make sure it comes in on budget,” he said.

“Throughout the Lower Mainland there is a lot of pressure on the cost of projects, the cost of concrete and things like that are going up all the time. So we just want to be sure with the proponent we are designing what we budgeted for.”

Opening date for the project is still slated for early next year, Hayne said.

Meanwhile, construction continues on three other sheets of ice in Surrey in the Bridgeview neighborhood, with a completion date set for Summer, 2019.