Piles of sand spanning as far as the eye can see are expected to remain beside Highway 99 until at least the end of the year. The eyesore was put in place in Richmond and Delta to provide weight to compress the soft soil underneath for future highway improvements.
“The settlement of the underlying soils is measured on a regular basis to determine how long the sand needs to stay in place,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Transportation. “Our latest estimate is the sand will have completed its job by the end of this year.”
The sand was moved in as part of initial steps to replace the Massey Tunnel with a 10-lane bridge. But the bridge project has been cancelled by the NDP government and Transportation Minister Claire Trevena is still reviewing a report from engineer Stan Cowdell.
WATCH: B.C. Liberal MLA ‘golfs’ on sand meant for Massey Tunnel replacement bridge
“The ministry is thoroughly reviewing the report to consider its findings and possible next steps,” reads the ministry’s statement. “The findings will be discussed with Metro Vancouver and the region’s mayors to ensure that any future direction on the tunnel crossing is supported by the people in the region.”
As part of the preliminary construction, the province also dug new ditches. When the sand is included, the two projects cost the provincial government $17 million. The province says the ditches will remain in place and the sand will be reused.
Richmond-Queensborough Liberal MLA Jas Johal says people who use the Massey Tunnel every day are frustrated by delays to improve the span.
“At the end of the day, all we have to look at is traffic jams from morning to night and six kilometres of dirt sitting here,” Johal said. “When the NDP came into power and they cancelled the project and all we got out of it at the end of the day was six kilometres and 600 tonnes of sand. And you have all these shrubs now growing.”
Johal says the previous government did five years of consultation before settling on the 10-lane bridge. The bridge had strong support from Delta Mayor Lois Jackson but did not have support from Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie.
WATCH: NDP government puts Massey Bridge on hold
The bridge could have been built for $2.6 billion. Delta South Liberal MLA Ian Paton has put a sign up on the side of the highway that reads, “Tell the NDP to build the bridge,” and he now goes out regularly to clean up the weeds growing around the sign.
“The sign was to prove a point that we have a lot of people south of the Fraser in Ladner, Tsawwassen, South Surrey, White Rock that are pretty sick and tired of waiting in the line-ups to get through this Massey Tunnel.”
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