The Township of Langley has just announced an open house on the future of Old Yale Road in Murrayville.
Old Yale is the oldest road in the Township, and the 93-year-old concrete surface on the section that runs from the five-way roundabout on 216 Street to the Fraser Highway is falling apart, riddled with cracks and pot holes.
The road was listed among the worst in the province by a British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) survey in 2013.
After the survey came out, the Township informed BCAA by letter that work on Old Yale has been delayed because it has a heritage designation as one of the first concrete roads constructed in the Lower Mainland.
Old Yale was originally a wagon road that connected New Westminster to Yale in the late 19th century before it became a road for motorized vehicles.
The Old Yale Road open house will be held Thursday, Nov. 26, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Langley Fundamental Elementary School at 21789 50 Ave.
“The goal of this process is to determine a means of upgrading Old Yale Road in a way that meets the Township’s needs and respects this unique historical roadway,” Township heritage planner Elaine Horricks said.
Township transportation engineer Richard Welfing said the engineering division is working with heritage staff to come up with a solution that meets the needs of all users, values its heritage attributes, and takes technical and cost considerations into account.
Possibilities range from preservation to replacement, the Township announcement said.