The City of Surrey has given the green light for a new roadway to be built through Bear Creek Park.
City council voted 5 to 4 along party lines to connect 84 Avenue through the south end of the park. The vote came despite a consultation report that found two-thirds of respondents opposed the road expansion.
Opponents of the connector gathered outside Monday night’s council meeting, saying the public consultation process was flawed since it assumed the road was a done deal.
“One thing that was quite shocking in the report is that when they build the bridge over Bear Creek they’re going to make it four lanes, even though it’s for a two-lane road,” Sebastian Sajda of the Friends of Bear Creek Park said.
“That’s to anticipate further development. So if we lose this fight now it’s a two-lane highway, and a couple of years down the line it’s four lanes.”
The city says the road is needed to reduce congestion and accidents on nearby routes.
Construction could begin as early as this summer with completion set for September 2022.