When the widened section of Fraser Highway east of the Langley City border is finished, it will make the drive to work or the shops smoother for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
For decades Fraser Highway was a busy road with a single narrow lane in either direction. It was no fun for cyclists to share the road with four-wheeled vehicles, and walking on the narrow paved shoulder was no picnic for pedestrians.
Coupled with the replacement of the Nicomekl bridge at Old Yale Road in the City, the Fraser Highway project has inconvenienced motorists for about three years now.
But the end is in sight.
The widening of Fraser Highway from the City boundary to just west of the 216 Street intersection is scheduled to be finished by the end of June, said project manager Duane Odenbach.
Among the work still to be completed is construction of the retaining wall along the north edge of Fraser Highway, where lock blocks are currently being installed, paving of the two new westbound lanes, installation of drainage infrastructure such as culverts and catch basins, and the installation of concrete road barriers along the north road shoulder.
Over the next few months, crews will pave the shared bicycle and pedestrian pathway along the south side of Fraser Highway. This path, reached by the sidewalk on the south side of Fraser Highway, will lead walkers to an upgraded pedestrian underpass which was once used as a passageway for cows to travel under the road from one pasture to another.
For now, the centre median will be painted in varying widths from 2.6 metres to 4 metres. After upgrades are complete the roadway will consist of one westbound lane for cyclists and two westbound vehicle lanes, a painted median, two eastbound lanes for vehicles and a multi-use pathway.
This will serve as a pathway for both eastbound cyclists and pedestrians in both east and west directions from Old Yale Road to just west of 216 Street.
The total cost of the project is $4.2 million, half of which is funded by TransLink.
It’s not the last of road improvement projects for Fraser Highway. Odenbach said that the Township is currently in the design stage to widen the road between 228 Street and the 23500 block.