George Massey鈥檚 son is planning to campaign to have the tunnel named after his father saved from the wrecking ball.
Doug Massey, 80, said he will ask people to sign a petition to save the tunnel linking Delta and Richmond.
Massey made the comments after Premier Christy Clark announced Friday that construction on a new bridge to replace the congested four-lane tunnel will begin in 2017.
鈥淎 new bridge will improve travel times for commuters and commercial users,鈥� Clark said.
The bridge will be built directly overtop the site of the present tunnel, allowing ocean-going ships to pass up the Fraser River to places like the Surrey docks.
Massey said he has 鈥渘o problem鈥� with another crossing but he said he鈥檚 against tearing up the tunnel which will allow larger ships in the river.
鈥淭hey haven鈥檛 considered the Fraser River鈥檚 value as a wetland,鈥� he said.
鈥淢y father would be turning over in his grave right now to see what they have done to the ecosystem of the Fraser River.鈥�
Massey said it appears government is more interested in the transportation of goods by ship and truck than the movement of people across the river.
He suggested keeping and maintaining the tunnel for commuters while trucks and transit vehicles could use a new bridge.
He said tearing up the bridge will only contribute to increased traffic in the river to the Fraser docks.
The tunnel was named after his dad in 1967. George Massey was a Delta MLA from 1956 to 1960.
At Friday鈥檚 announcement, an artist鈥檚 drawing showed a cable-stayed structure with two towers, similar to the new Port Mann crossing.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to do the engineering work. It will take some time because the project is so big,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淚t is my hope it will get started in 2017.鈥�
But Clark said it鈥檚 not known how many lanes will be built or whether the cost will be passed on to motorists via bridge tolls.
鈥淲e are confident we can finance it. We landed on the route based on what people wanted,鈥� she said.
Clark said the bill is likely to cost several billion dollars because improvements on Highway 99 will be made at the same time.
At the recent Port Mann project, she noted the bridge cost $830 million and highway improvements $2 billion.
She said the budget is being prepared with that range of costs in mind.
Engineering work will develop a 鈥減roject scope and business case鈥� and will be presented for public discussion next spring.
A request for proposals will follow.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get the budget as low as possible,鈥� she said.
Clark made the announcement to delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention in 91原创.
