Heavy truck traffic in downtown Mission is expected to stall out.
Changes to a pair of significant Mission intersections will move heavy truck traffic bound for Highway 11 away from the downtown core. Heavy commercial vehicles headed west will be rerouted from Highway 7 to Highway 11 via Glasgow Avenue and Horne Street rather than driving through the city centre.
However, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says trucks will not be banned from driving through downtown.
“With the project’s improvements, the new route will be safer and more convenient for trucks, in addition to the benefits of improving the safety and experience of the downtown business district for people,” the ministry said in a statement.
Road improvements are expected to begin this fall to the Highway 7 and Murray Street intersection and the Glasgow Avenue and Horne Street intersection. The work is expected to be finished in summer 2024 pending a successful contract award.
The Ministry says the project will be fully funded by the province but the exact cost is not yet known since it just went to tender.
Abbotsford-Mission MLA Pam Alexis, Mission Mayor Paul Horn and Mission Downtown Business Association executive director Karley Holley announced the improvements on Tuesday morning (Nov. 21) on First Avenue.
“It means that the merchants who have been asking for this forever will be able to … think about the world differently and focus on business, focus on walkability,” Alexis said.
Horn says getting the trucks out of downtown is just phase one. He says the Ministry of Transportation’s support and the work being done with the South Mission Transportation Study can help realize the vision of the 1973 bridge construction meant to allow traffic to miss the downtown entirely.
“Today, waiting to cross the road to come here, we were interrupted by a couple of belly dumpers going by. You cannot sit on the patio anyplace, you cannot have a conversation with the neighbour. So in terms of what we all aspire to — a livable, workable, affordable, walkable neighbourhood — this neighbourhood now has an opportunity to realize that.”
Holley says the improvements are fantastic news for downtown businesses.
“It’s a game changer. It really does make a difference to our safety and security [and] to our walkability,” Holley said.
“I’ve actually heard from businesses that [truck traffic] can rattle windows. So when you’re sitting inside, it can even affect the day-to-day business person of seeing that this is actually refreshing and not alarming. And they might even have a better day at work.”
Work at the Highway 7 and Murray Street intersection will widen Highway 7 to accommodate changing the inside westbound through lane to a dedicated left turn lane and adding roughly 150 metres to the left turn lane.
To accommodate truck turning movement, improvements on Glasgow and Horne will include realignment, relocation of the traffic signal and adjustments to paint markings.
According to a news release, both intersections will be paved after the work and signal timing will be adjusted to ensure smooth traffic flow.
Improvements to the Murray Street overpass aren’t a part of the current project but Horn says they are encompassed in the South Mission Transportation Study.
“I think ultimately, our long-term aim is that that piece of technology is no longer a core portion of our transportation route,” Horn said of the overpass.