Two major road projects are expected to be open to the public by the end of this year, according to the City of Abbotsford.
One is the Marshall Road Connector, which initially opened on Oct. 29, 2022, but was closed 12 days later.
At the time, the city said in a press release that “some settlement has led to dips in the road that will require further assessment and work.”
The new road runs east-west and connects Mt. Lehman road at Marshall Road (near the Abbotsford Airport) to King Road at Bradner Road (near the Aldergrove border).
As the road continues west, it turns into King Road in Abbotsford and then into 16th Avenue in Aldergrove, which is a major connector route through Langley and Surrey, where it intersects with Highway 99.
City spokesperson Aletta Vanderheyden said the road will reopen by the end of the year “as long as current weather conditions remain favourable.”
She said paving wrapped up last week, and line painting is scheduled for this week. She said road-side barriers are also being placed, and the area is being hyrdoseeded.
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Vanderheyden said the costs of the reconstruction are being borne by the contractor, Fraser Valley Aggregates.
Meanwhile, work also continues on the Vye Road overpass and Highway 11 widening, with an anticipated completion by the end of this year.
Vanderheyden said the contractor is finishing asphalt, railings and other related work.
Construction on that project began in June 2021 and includes a 1.3-kilometre widening of Highway 11 to extend the Nexus lane from south of Vye Road to the U.S. border and the building of a two-lane overpass on Vye Road between Highway 11 and Riverside Road over the railway lines.
It also includes safety improvements to the Fourth Avenue at-grade railway crossing west of Highway 11.
The project was first delayed in August 2021 due to an archeological discovery in the area, the nature of which could not be revealed as it is protected under provincial laws.
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The project was further delayed following the major floods of November 2021 that impacted Sumas Prairie.
The Vye Road and Highway 11 improvements were first announced in 2013 at an estimated cost of $25 million – to be split equally between the city and the federal and provincial governments.
The budget has continued to increase over the years, and was up to $46.7 million by August 2021, with the city paying $19.25 million.
Vanderheyden did not have current cost figures for the project, saying more details would be shared closer to the opening.
