9 February 2009
Falcon Will Pull Funding for Overpass if Proposal Rejected
Langley British Columbia - The provincial government is
prepared to withdraw funding for a railway overpass at Mufford Road/Glover Road if the proposed alignment is rejected.
In a 6 Feb 2009 letter sent to every member of Township council, Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said he is prepared
to divert funding to other projects in the province.
His letter arrived on the same day that councillors learned that the City of Langley has rejected the "J" plan - a new route
that would take traffic from eastbound 64 Avenue over Glover Road and the CP rail line and curve in a southeasterly direction to the
Langley Bypass.
The Township's plan not only lifts traffic above the rail line but expands the road network, creating a new link through farmland,
becoming a new leg of 64 Avenue before it joins 216 Street at a new crossroads south of the existing Milner intersection of 216
Street, Glover Road, and Crush Crescent.
Falcon's letter noted that the Agricultural Land Commission approves of the alignment "with conditions that can be met under the
scope of the project.
"The ALC has also reviewed other possible overpass options and made it clear this proposal delivers the least amount of impact to
local agriculture," Falcon wrote.
The City's position on the "J" plan was outlined in a letter from Mayor Peter Fassbender to Township Mayor Rick Green and
council, and is on the agenda for the Township's 3 p.m. meeting today (Monday).
VALTAC says that the "J" plan minimizes the impact on farmland.
Fassbender said that this proposal "creates an alternate east-west corridor to link communities and provide a route
that can be used if other very limited routes are unavailable."
It enhances a network connection that would stretch from Highway 91 in Delta through Surrey and eastward towards 232 Street in
Langley.
Furthermore, he noted, the connection fits in with a future interchange at 216 Street and Highway 1.
It is safer and improves traffic flow.
By contrast, the "J" plan "is not an integrated solution nor is it a network solution, but instead will result in
increased congestion and longer travel times for our communities," Fassbender wrote.
Fassbender pledged that the City would carry on working with the Township to lobby Ottawa, Victoria, and TransLink to support the
plan.
The City is committed to exploring other transport modes, including an extension of SkyTrain, street level LRT, and community rail,
Fassbender said.
Falcon said the "J" plan "does not serve the broader needs of the Township and City and would negatively impact a
number of environmentally sensitive areas."
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