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Windy weekend
May Days returns to Memorial Park
Memorial Park turns into a fairgrounds this weekend for the 114th edition of Ladner Pioneer May Days. Activities begin late Friday afternoon with the midway and fastball tournament and continue throughout the weekend. Other festival highlights include stage entertainment, craft fair, antique market and a colourful parade that will make its way through Ladner Village beginning at noon Sunday.
Special section
B1-16
Tsawwassen kite-surfer Greg Harder was one of many to take advantage of ideal conditions at Centennial Beach over the long weekend.
PHOTO BY
CHUNG CHOW
Hwy. completion pushed back Delta stretch of South Fraser Perimeter Road won’t be finished until 2013, a year later than originally planned SANDOR GYARMATI
The completion date for the South Fraser Perimeter Road has been pushed back a year. Within a recent Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announcement regarding the project, it was also noted the second and final phase of construction will be completed in 2013. That’s a year later than the original target of 2012. Ministry spokesperson Jeff Knight told the Optimist the new timetable is due to approvals, including environmental and,
in particular, the Agricultural Land Commission go-ahead in late 2008, occurring later than expected. “The project was initially thinking they may be able to make up that time. So the schedule wasn’t initially adjusted and some thought they could make up time for the delays, but they realized this is what the schedule is going to have to be,” he said. The section from 176th Street in Surrey to the Pattullo Bridge is on course to be completed by the end of 2012 as originally planned. The section from the Pattullo Bridge to Deltaport Way was
also to be completed by that time before being pushed back.
As far as the estimated $1.1 billion price tag of the project, Knight said the cost isn’t expected to go any higher due to the later completion schedule. The SFPR will be a 40-kilometre, four-lane divided highway from Deltaport Way in South Delta, along the south bank of the
Fraser River, with connections to highways 1, 91 and 99 and the Golden Ears Bridge. It is primarily being built to service the growing port at Roberts Bank. Construction has been ongoing since 2008. At Delta council last week, engineering staff gave civic politicians an update on the project, including its new timeline for completion. As far as the work already underway, engineering director Hugh Fraser noted extensive preloading has taken place. He said there would eventually be an interchange at 80th Street and
another in the vicinity of Nordel Way. Mayor Lois Jackson said she recently had a discussion with Robin Silvester, president and CEO of Port Metro Vancouver, regarding alignment issues in North Delta. She said another meeting would be sought with the port authority and the Gateway Program on those issues. Council also discussed emergency access issues related to the new highway. The municipality conducted a study last year looking at the location of existing fire halls and how the new highway will impact response times.
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05261123
BY
sgyarmati@delta-optimist.com