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Province promises to fix some confusing highway signs

Highway 17 exit information drew driver complaints
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Exit sign for Highway 99 off Highway 17 from the Tsawwassen ferry terminal will get additional destinations, such as Surrey and Richmond.

Complaints from drivers about confusing signage along Metro Vancouver highways have prompted the province's transportation ministry to make changes in some areas, including along Highway 17.

The $1.3-billion South Fraser Perimeter Road slashed across existing highways in Delta and Surrey when it opened in 2013, creating a spider's web of new on- and off-ramps and overpasses in several areas.

Drivers coming up Highway 17 from the Tsawwassen ferry terminal can be confused by the Highway 99 exit sign that says "Vancouver – USA border" before the exit lane splits in the two opposing directions.

The ministry says it will add other major destinations to the sign, including Richmond and Surrey, to better indicate where the exit can take drivers.

The province also says it will add Surrey and Langley to exit signs on Highway 99 southbound after exit 20 directing drivers to take Highway 91 and then Highway 10 to reach those destinations.

Extra signs are also promised for drivers on Highway 17 to show the alternate route to Surrey via Highway 99 south.

In Abbotsford, the ministry said it will remove a sign that incorrectly indicates a sharp right curve from Fraser Highway onto Highway 1 that it says may have confused some drivers.

It also pledged to make the lights brighter in the George Massey Tunnel and to improve signage on how to access the Vancouver landfill in Delta via Highway 17.