The provincial and federal governments and the City of Abbotsford will jointly fund a $25 million upgrade to the Sumas border crossing, it was announced Friday.
Highway 11 south of Highway 1 will get a major upgrade to ease congestion. The work includes a two-lane overpass over the Southern Rail and CP Rail lines on Vye Road and a new crossing for both rail lines along McConnell Road, connecting Riverside Road to Highway 11.
The Nexus lane on the Canadian side of the border will be also be extended 1.8 kilometres to improve traffic flow.
The work will improve access to commercial developments between Highway 11 and Riverside Road, and provide an alternate route along the Vye Road and 8th Avenue corridor to provide better access to the Aldergrove and Huntington border crossings.
Ottawa is covering $8.33 million to the project through the Building Canada Fund. The B.C. government and City of Abbotsford will also contribute $8.33 million each. Construction is expected to start next year, with completion in 2016.
“As the community of Abbotsford and the entire Fraser Valley region have grown in recent decades, we've seen this vital transportation corridor become more and more congested, which hampers our local economy,” said Abbotsford Mayor Bruce Banman.
“This long-term solution is going to bring major improvements in traffic flow, safety and travelling ease, saving both time and money.”
