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Report concludes twinning Massey Tunnel is feasible

FOI request turns up 2013 document from European engineering consultants
massey
Doug Massey says the former Liberal government misled the public on the need for a bridge.

It proves there was a cover-up, say opponents of the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project.

Making the rounds in the debate about the currently suspended $3.5-billion bridge project is a report by an engineering firm from the Netherlands that concludes building a new tunnel to twin with the current crossing is feasible.

That report by TEC, dating back to 2013, was made public after a freedom of information request to the NDP government. An initial request when the Liberals were in power found no information, said Doug Massey, whose father spearheaded construction of the original tunnel.

“If the tunnel is so unsafe, then why don’t they shut it down? It’s younger than the Maastunnel (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) and the tunnel engineering consultants said our tunnel can be upgraded, and they’re the worldwide experts,” said Massey.

Noting TEC officials were given a tour of the current tunnel and made a presentation to government officials, Massey said it had been conveyed immersed tunnels are more suited for poor soil conditions and have a smaller footprint. That information was swept under the rug by a government bent on a bridge mega project, Massey said.

“They were very disappointed that they made a great presentation to the transportation arm of the government and were well received and never heard back from the government. The next thing they heard is that the government decided to build a bridge, so they really never gave the 60-page presentation any serious consideration,” Massey complained.

“The government was misleading the public completely. They’re telling everyone the tunnel was impregnated with gas and fumes, but then why isn’t every other tunnel in the world the same way?” asked Massey.

“They’re lying to the public for those who have vested interest in a bridge. I have no problem with a crossing. Some of these tunnels are 12 miles long and they’re safer than an open highway... the former Liberal government never did anything to improve the interior of the tunnel to make it safer and more efficient.”

The Port of Vancouver remains a player behind the campaign for a bridge, added Massey.

Delta South MLA Ian Paton, who has become the Liberals’ go-to person on the project, said it’s been frustrating to watch the NDP order another redundant review while there are 14,000 pages of information available on every aspect.

“Equally frustrating is that despite all the studies and research available to the minister and to the public online, some misinformation continues to be spread, namely that a tunnel is a better option and that the bridge project was being driven by Port Metro Vancouver,” Paton said.

The detailed technical analysis confirmed a new bridge is the best option and building a tunnel to the same seismic standards as a bridge would be much more costly, complex and environmentally invasive, Paton noted.

The first-term MLA said it would involve river-bottom dredging and bringing in layers of sand, gravel and loose stone to reinforce the earth onshore and in the Fraser River below the water. Twinning the tunnel would also mean widening everything to the point where you wipe out houses, businesses and agricultural land, instead of going up and over with a bridge.

Also, he said, removing the tunnel would not significantly change the size of ships that are able to use the Fraser River. Paton also said some other factors to the expansion of shipping include other pipeline crossings, the width of the river and the depth of the river at its mouth.

“The facts are, the George Massey Tunnel needs to be replaced and a new tunnel would destroy valuable farmland in Delta and Richmond. A new bridge would be more cost-effective and allow for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Two independent engineering studies prove this. I encourage the naysayers to pour over all of the research that’s been done.”