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Langley overpass well under budget

The new 208th Street overpass is expected to be finished by next year.
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The new 208th Street overpass is being built for several million dollars less than originally anticipated.

Currently under construction, the project was originally projected as costing about $12 million.

When the contract was put out to tender, the cost was estimated at about $10 million.

But the bid by the current builder, B.A. Blacktop, will cost Langley Township $7 million, said Ramin Seifi, manager of engineering and community development.

He said the low bid to build the overpass seems to be a one-off, as there have not been any similar low bids for other major Township infrastructure projects.

Work on the overpass widening began earlier this year and is ramping up, with some major work to come this fall.

First promised by Langley Township Mayor Jack Froese in 2014, the overpass is being widened from two lanes to four.

Portions of 208th Street itself are already four lanes, with more being widened as development continues through to 72nd Avenue.

B.A. Blacktop is the contractor selected to widen the overpass, and project manager Mana Arabi said everything is on schedule.

“We have started the pier and the foundation,” she said.

Building the “superstructure” of the two additional lanes will take place this fall.

Large concrete girders will have to be hoisted into place above the highway to create the new lanes of the freeway overpass.

A traffic management plan hasn’t been finalized, but if the project requires the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway, it will be done in the middle of the night, Arabi said.

The current two lanes of the overpass will remain open throughout construction, she said.

The fully expanded structure is expected to be open by next spring. Work remains on schedule so far, said Arabi.



Matthew Claxton

About the Author: Matthew Claxton

Raised in Langley, as a journalist today I focus on local politics, crime and homelessness.
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