Safer signal, wider lanes planned for Fraser Highway in Aldergrove

Some Aldergrove roads will be getting upgrades in the future, after Langley Township council voted for changes both short and long term along Fraser Highway.

First, a new westbound left turn lane is coming to Fraser Highway at 272nd Street in downtown Aldergrove.

The change is the result of a petition brought to council in November by Myrtle Clift.

“The corner of Fraser Highway at 272nd has become very unsafe,” Clift to the council on Nov. 14. “To my knowledge, there have been at least six pedestrians hit by motor vehicles.”

She asked for four-way left turn signal lights. Drivers were so intense on making a left turn at the corner, that they were looking straight ahead and failed to check for pedestrians in the crosswalk, Clift said.

The intersection already has an eastbound left turn signal.

The council unanimously approved a change to the signal that will add a westbound left turn signal as well.

The Township’s engineering report acknowledged that traffic studies, done in January, along with data on collisions, showed the need for a new left turn signal.

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However, the geometry of the intersection means that the turn signals will be operated in a “lead-lag” fashion, which means left turns will only be allowed with a solid green arrow.

That will make things safer for drivers and pedestrians, but will slow down traffic somewhat.

“While the proposed option reduces vehicle capacity, the changes are warranted based upon industry guidelines and safety considerations,” the report said.

Council approved the change unanimously.

Second, a motion by Mayor Eric Woodward calls for the completion of widening Fraser Highway by 2030, seven years from now.

The motion notes that the highway is both part of the TransLink Major Road Network and its Major Bike Network, and is a designated truck route and a disaster response route.

“Fraser Highway has sections remaining that do not have adequate capacity to meet current and future demands for the movement of people, goods, and services and does not adequately accommodate other modes of active transportation, such as transit, walking, and cycling,” the motion says.

It also mentions that the costs for improving the remaining sections of Fraser Highway are “prohibitive” for the Township, given current levels of cost sharing.

The motion calls on staff to update the plans and requirements needed to complete Fraser Highway from 232nd Street as far east as 264th Street by 2030, including financial support from TransLink, the provincial government, and “extraordinary land use conversions.”

Up to $200,000 from existing budgets is to be authorized to complete designs and detailed construction estimates for widening the next segments of the highway – between 23400 block and 24300 blocks, and between the 25000 block and 264th Street.

The Township will also keep applying to TransLink annually for funding for the next section of widening, with a 50/50 cost share split between TransLink and the Township.

That proposal was also approved unanimously.