Hon. Alice Wong, P.C.

This is a follow-up to the April 2009 announcement concerning the federal government’s contribution to a new interchange at Highway 91 and Nelson Road in Richmond. The contract has been awarded, and the work is required to be completed before March 31, 2011 to qualify for federal funds.

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August 25, 2010
Farmers Will Benefit From New Interchange

RICHMOND – A new Highway 91 interchange will move trucks off Westminster Highway and provide direct access to the Fraser Port industrial area, easing traffic for farmers and moving goods to their destinations quicker.

“As Richmond grows, it’s essential we keep up with infrastructure and economic demands,” says Richmond East MLA Linda Reid. “Providing direct access from Highway 91 to the Fraser Port industrial area for truck traffic and easing congestion on Westminster Highway means goods get where they need to go and commuters spend more time at home than on the road.”

“The Economic Action Plan continues to work for Richmond,” says Richmond MP Alice Wong. “With the Nelson Road Interchange, we will be able to transport goods to and from the Fraser Port more efficiently. This is another incremental step in improving our road network for both commuters and truckers.”

The project involves the construction of a partial interchange connecting Highway 91 eastbound to Nelson Road southbound, and Nelson Road northbound to Highway 91 westbound. The new interchange will provide an alternate route for traffic using Westminster Highway from Richmond, Highway 99 and Knight Street to the Fraser Port industrial area.

Work is scheduled to begin in early September, with completion set for March 31, 2011, and will involve fast lane closures during construction. All lane closures during construction will happen at night to lessen the impact to the traveling public. Surrey’s Westpro Infrastructure Ltd. won the contract with a $7,932,728 bid.

Funding for this project is cost-shared between the federal and provincial governments, Port Metro Vancouver and the City of Richmond.

The federal contribution comes from the $4 billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which provides funding to provincial, territorial and municipal construction-ready infrastructure projects. Since March 2009, almost 400 projects have received a total federal investment of more than $490 million under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund across British Columbia.

Since October 2008, more than $5.3 billion in infrastructure projects have been announced throughout B.C., which are estimated to create more than 34,000 jobs over the life of the projects.

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