Getting around the Langley area has been quite a challenge this summer.
One of the the most annoying road closures is 216 Street between Milner and 56 Avenue. This a major corridor between Murrayville, the Langley Airport, McLeod Athletic Park and Willoughby, and the alternatives are often very badly plugged with traffic.
Unfortunately, this is a road closure without a foreseeable end, as work has been halted on the East Langley water line, which is the reason the road is closed, due to a workplace safety dispute.
As a result of this closure, Glover Road has ben very badly backed up at times this summer. The fact that work on the Mufford overpass is taking place along Glover doesn’t help matters any.
Another lengthy closure this summer is 192 Street, just across the border in Surrey. This is closed due to work on another rail overpass. The closure was set to end in late July, but has now been extended to the end of August.
This road is used by a number of Langley City and Township residents to get to Highway 10, and west into Surrey.
It is also a major truck route to and from businesses just south of Highway 10, and further south in the Campbell Heights business park. These trucks have, for the most part, been diverted to other roads in Langley and Surrey, adding additional congestion.
Fraser Highway has often been backed up as well, due to widening to four lanes between 224 and 232 Streets. Much of that work has been completed, but the project isn’t quite done.
A much worse problem has been on Highway 1, which is seeing the eastbound highway widened to three lanes between 232 and 264 Streets.
While the need for this work is obvious, as trucks going uphill often slow the rest of the freeway traffic, the delays this summer have been frequent and lengthy. Traffic reporters are, almost daily, saying the freeway is backed up to 200 Street. It is particularly bad during the evening rush hour.
These may well have been the most sustained traffic jams in Langley history.
Road improvements are welcome, and delays are understandable, but they do create a lot of challenges for drivers. They are particularly difficult for visitors to the area who are not familiar with traffic patterns.