The Vye Road overpass and Highway 11 widening project will be fully open to the public as of Friday, Dec. 8, according to the City of Abbotsford.
The city said in a press release that the project has reached “substantial completion.”
Although the Vye Road overpass is now open to all traffic, a city spokesperson said there is currently traffic control in place on the east side of the bridge as concrete medians are being installed along the centre line.
This work will be completed and traffic control removed on Dec. 8, the spokesperson said.
Construction on the 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.
Mayor Ross Siemens said the project helps address congestion and increase safety for drivers.
“These upgrades provide community connectivity and support cross‐border travel and trade, while improving safety and travel times along this important road and rail corridor,” he said.
“It is vitally important for our economy that we have an efficient flow of goods and services throughout our city.”
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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.
The project was further delayed following the major floods of November 2021 that impacted Sumas Prairie.
Construction resumed in January 2022.
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 project was up to $46.7 million by August 2021, with the city paying $19.25 million.
The final tally provided by the city is $74.6 million. Of that, the city is paying $38.2 million and the province is paying $27.6 million.
The remainder comes from the federal government – $8.3 million through the Building Canada Fund and $500,000 through the Rail Safety Improvement Program.
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