A number of road improvements are coming to Campbell Heights.
Now, Surrey is holding an open house to bring the public up to speed on the changes.
Scott Wheatley, the executive director of the Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce, said the upcoming info session will be great for anyone who lives, works, or travels through the area.
“The main thrust of the road improvements are for business, getting trucks in and out, but there are also a lot of new neighbourhoods going in,” Wheatley explained. “But it’s vitally important for business.”
The open house for the road improvements will be held at Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre on Thursday, Feb. 6.
This city is upgrading the roads in Campbell Heights in five spots. Project locations include: 16 Avenue - 19000-block to 192 Street, 192 Street - between 16 and 28 Avenues, 24 Avenue - 188 to 192 Street, 28 Avenue - from 192 to 194 Streets, and 32 Avenue - 192 to 196th Street.
Road work in Campbell Heights will include: the addition of travel lanes, new signalized intersections and improved traffic movements at intersections, integrated cycling-walking facilities, and more.
Wheatley said he’s letting people know about the open house so they are informed, but also so they’re able to contact the city if they have any feedback on the area in terms of what has worked well, or what still needs to be done – even if outside the scope of the current work.
Campbell Heights lies within the Cloverdale chamber’s catchment area and chamber members are located in Campbell Heights.
Wheatley noted his members have told him that on 16 Avenue one section of the road is so steep that big trucks can't even make it up the hill.
“The improvements are designed to fix some bottlenecks and enable businesses to move product.”
He said there are several massive warehouses there already, some big ones currently being built, and more coming. He said the need for better roads is "immense."
There's also a brand new high school going in on 24 Avenue, between 182 and 184 Streets. Set to open in September, the new St. John Paul II Academy will bring in students from the entire region, White Rock, Surrey, and Langley.
Road widening will take place just down from the school on 24 Avenue, between 188 and 192 Streets. The avenue is currently closed at the Surrey-Langley border. Langley Township is considering keeping it closed for the foreseeable future, but Wheatley said the road will be vital for Langley students attending the academy, and for traffic flow in general.
Wheatley added the city has been working hard to improve Campbell Heights in every way. They’re advocating for better transit, building infrastructure to serve growing business needs, and helping to curb a street racing problem that has plagued the area for numerous years.
“They’ve put in speed bumps now, which is helping to control the racing (problem),” he explained. “When they build new streets in South Campbell Heights, they're going to do traffic calming designs.”
He said those calming designs include traffic circles and speed bumps, but also curved road routes where jogs and doglegs prevent street racers from attaining dangerous speeds.
Phase 1 for the project (192 Street - 16 to 28 Avenue) will begin this summer, with tree clearing taking place in February. The city noted the other four phases will take place between 2026 and 2027.
The City of Surrey is investing almost $30 million to improve the roads.
The open house will be held Feb. 6 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre (16855 24 Avenue). For more info., people can visit surrey.ca. To ask questions, or to provide comments, people can contact the city’s design and construction division at 604-591-4253 or engwebmail@surrey.ca.
