A major component of the years-long Lower Lynn improvement project on Highway 1 is now in place and the end of the entire development is now mere months away.
Cars and trucks and things that go started crossing the refurbished Lynn Creek Bridge eastbound on Monday and westbound on Tuesday.
“We’re getting close,” said project manager Jay Porter. “It’s exciting.”
The bridge was taken out of service in March 2020 to be repainted in “Lions Gate green,” and have its steel supports recoated, its deck replaced and new safety features installed. The work will extend the 1960 bridge’s life by another 30 years.
Over the next four to six weeks, crews will build a new retaining wall just west of the bridge that will allow the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to open up express and collector lanes, intended to help separate traffic bound for the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing from North Shore traffic.
“The traffic shift will provide better traffic flow and shorten time spent in traffic for people living and working in the area, which is always a welcome relief,” said North Vancouver-Seymour NDP MLA Susie Chant. The average number of daily crossings on the Ironworkers is now at about 95-per cent of pre-pandemic levels, Porter said.
The Exit 22 off-ramp is now reopened and 22A has been connected to Mountain Highway. Starting next week, crews will also repave the surface of the highway, which will require nightly lane closures, but Porter said apart from that, there will be no more major detours or disruptions.
The last and likely most impactful component, when it comes to alleviating rush hour congestion – combining the Dollarton Highway and Main Street on-ramps into one with an adaptive signal to control traffic flow – should be ready by mid- to late-September, Porter said. “That is it. The project is to be complete by October,” he added. “It’s pretty much just finishing up some small minor works after that”
The average number of daily crossings on the Ironworkers is now at about 95-per cent of pre-pandemic levels, Porter said.
The $200-million highway infrastructure project has been in progress for six years.
“People who live or work in North Vancouver have long been frustrated with their commutes,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of State for Infrastructure. “These upgrades … will help improve safety and reliability.”
