Highway 1 Fraser Valley Phase 3: 264th to Hwy 11 | Proposed

[madog222]

BC Moti Project website: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/t...alley-highway1

-Phase 3A 264th Street to Mt Lehman Road construction to start 2024; Phase 3B Mt Lehman to Highway 11.
-3 to 4 Lanes incl HOV + bus on shoulder each direction.
-New interchanges at 264th St and Highway 11, the latter being a diverging diamond.
-Bus loop with park & ride for the FVX at 264 interchange.
-Off highway 4m MUP from 264th to Mt Lehman Road.

Highway 11 to Whatcom Road will be in Phase 4 now including Hwy 1 through the Sumas Prairie (and the awful Vedder Canal Bridge!!!).


Project scope and design concepts: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/tr...-highway11.pdf









Images from BC Moti from the above link.

[abbymk]

Thanks for starting the thread Madog222.

I’m actually pleasantly surprised by the scope of the interchanges and hope they don’t downgrade them as the process proceeds.

I especially love the use of the diverging interchange at Highway 11. I think it should have been used at 200 st as well. Will it be the first one in Canada if built?

I also like the fact that the Mt.Lehman overpass will be upgraded to 5 lanes because right now that has to be the most congested part of Abbotsford and it was only built in 2007.

I count the bus shoulder lane as another lane in my book so I like that it’s basically 4 “lanes” the whole way with 5 lane sections with truck climbing lanes.

All in all I wish it went until Whatcom Road but I’m happy with this and please, please don’t downgrade it.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by abbymk

I especially love the use of the diverging interchange at Highway 11. I think it should have been used at 200 st as well. Will it be the first one in Canada if built?

If built today it would be the fourth, though it will definitely be the first in BC. The others are in Calgary, Regina, and Niagara, ON.
It will be Canada's first diverging diamond with bike lanes.

Originally Posted by abbymk

All in all I wish it went until Whatcom Road but I’m happy with this and please, please don’t downgrade it.

I agree but will trade the increase in scope eastward any day, especially to address the Vedder Canal Bridge (did I mention that yet).

[abbymk]

The only worry I have with not taking it to Whatcom Road is the current Whatcom Interchange is one of the worst designed areas I’ve seen. You have two highway exits and two on ramps with the North Parallel and South Parallel roads also right there. It’s a complete gong show currently.

So my problem is that if phases 3A and 3B are on time, according to things said during the previous election, we’re looking at 2028-2029 until they open. That means the mess that is Whatcom won’t be fixed until the 2030s now and that side of Abbotsford is getting more congested by the year.

I feel they should do the Whatcom interchange with phase 3B and leave the freeway upgrades with phase 4.

[Klazu]

Wow, this news made my day and the fact that widening up to Chilliwack is ultimately in the cards, is great news. This is so badly needed already today, it isn't even funny.

It is hard to tell from the website, but the plan is to basically have only 3+3 lanes past 200 Street and not to continue the 4+4 configuration? Am I also reading correctly that there is some "bus lane on the shoulder" type of crap past Mt Lehman, so no proper six lanes?

Out of curiosity, the median on Highway 1 must have been built with space for 4+4 in mind, if not even ultimate 5+5 lanes, am I correct? BC was so forward-looking back in the 70s...

I hope these phases keep happening fast!

[idunno]

This is a really exciting shift in MoTI's toolkit. Diverging-diamond interchanges? Check. Additional flyovers to reduce left turns from overpasses? Check. Strategically planned multi-use paths, parallel to the highway for many kilometres? Check! Bus on shoulder lanes to prepare for future improvements to transit service? Check.

It's also worth mentioning that they are revisiting/improving overpass designs from only 10-15 years ago. Great stuff!

[madog222]

Originally Posted by Klazu

It is hard to tell from the website, but the plan is to basically have only 3+3 lanes past 200 Street and not to continue the 4+4 configuration? Am I also reading correctly that there is some "bus lane on the shoulder" type of crap past Mt Lehman, so no proper six lanes?

HOV in left most lane AND bus on [right] shoulder, if we don't count the bus on shoulder it's 3+3 plus a a fourth lane in select sections.

[Klazu]

The full PDF is really helpful read on this. The shoulder lanes seem to be 4 meters wide, which will be very handy, dare I say MOST handy, for regular car breakdowns and stalled trucks, so main traffic lanes won't get jammed up. This is a huge problem on the main section of the Highway 1 through Burnaby, the tiny shoulders.

[Metro-One]

An actual half decent project. The 264 interchange looks great and those shoulders bus lanes aren’t as pathetic as those on the 99.

Also nice to see the scope of the full project being expanded out to Chilliwack.

So overall it seems that the #1 will be a decent highway from the Cassiar Tunnel to Chilliwack.

Also happy that the climbing lanes have been retained.

Just too bad the 99 gets shortchanged so much.

[Klazu]

Aren't we still losing a climbing lane in Phase 2? I thought the current EB climbing lane would be the third lane but has that been changed and a fourt lane will indeed be constructed as part of the current phase?

[Lexus]

The biggest takeaway for me is:

Did you know?
The naming of an underpass or an overpass depends on
what the Highway does in relation to the local road.
UNDERPASS:
The Highway goes under the local road structure
OVERPASS :
The Highway structure goes over the local road structure

[madog222]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Aren't we still losing a climbing lane in Phase 2? I thought the current EB climbing lane would be the third lane but has that been changed and a fourt lane will indeed be constructed as part of the current phase?

I’m not sure if that was ever finalized, publicly at least. If I remember correctly the plan was always to end up with 4 lanes but to initially have 3 (converting one existing to HOV) so there isn’t a sudden drop from 4 to 2 before 264th. With construction of phases 2 and 3 so close together I’m guessing that they build the 4th lane from the start. We’ll need to see if that information is released when the contract goes to tender this year for the Phase 2 road widening.

[teriyaki]

First I've seen of a diverging diamond interchange in BC. Will this be the first one constructed in this province?

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by teriyaki

First I've seen of a diverging diamond interchange in BC. Will this be the first one constructed in this province?

From earlier on this page...

Originally Posted by madog222

If built today it would be the fourth, though it will definitely be the first in BC. The others are in Calgary, Regina, and Niagara, ON.
It will be Canada's first diverging diamond with bike lanes.

[madog222]

Render of the 264th interchange. Infrastructure BC lists anticipated completion for 2028.


Image from Province of BC https://www.infrastructurebc.com/pro...hange-project/

[Klazu]

Lane markings on the main highway sure are confusing.

[flipper316]

Originally Posted by madog222

Render of the 264th interchange. Infrastructure BC lists anticipated completion for 2028.


Image from Province of BC https://www.infrastructurebc.com/pro...hange-project/

Nice looking render . Wonder if there's any plans at all to 4 lane highway 13 from the border to highway 1. It'd be nice to get that done as well as this project at the same time so they mesh together.

[sweetnhappy]

Wow, I didn't even notice the flyover on-ramps until seeing the render. Guess it's good they got rid of highway 1 on-ramp left turns at the main intersections (except for buses at the north one).

[Metro-One]

That’s a well designed interchange, good to see.

[osirisboy]

Is there a rendering of just south of this image