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Backstreet meets major artery in Massey Tunnel replacement saga

Is the ICBA mad? Yeah. Did they make another video? Yeah.
George Massey tunnel replacement bridge
Rendering of the proposed bridge to replace the George Massey tunnel. Photograph via B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure

Is the ICBA mad? Yeah.

Did they make another video? Yeah.

The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association is back in the news after releasing a music video parodying the Backstreet Boys’ 1997 hit “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” titled “Everybody’s Stuck at Massey” that is critical of the NDP provincial government's decision to cancel a 10-lane bridge proposal to replace the oft-clogged George Massey Tunnel underneath the Fraser River.

The video, which includes crude computer graphics of the proposed bridge as well as Premier John Horgan’s head superimposed on Marvel comics character the Hulk, was released on Facebook and YouTube one day after an eight-lane immersed tube tunnel to replace the four-lane tunnel was endorsed as the preferred option by Metro Vancouver.

“John Horgan and the Metro Vancouver mayors have tunnel vision on this project – they cannot see past their own bias to the broader infrastructure needs in the south Fraser, and it is commuters and taxpayers who are paying the price for their mismanagement,” said ICBA spokesperson Jordan Bateman in a news release. “It’s ludicrous to spend billions on something that will last half a century and not substantially increase capacity or give relief to drivers.”

The tunnel connects Delta to Richmond along Highway 99, a major trucking artery between Vancouver and the United States. The previous bridge proposal would have been well under construction at this point, while a new immersed tube tunnel will take an estimated eight years to complete, according to the Ministry of Transportation. The proposed tunnel would consist of three all-purpose lanes plus a dedicated HOV and transit lane each way, while separated bike and walking paths are also included in the plan.

This is the second time the organization has used musical parody to make their point after last month releasing one to the theme of the late 70s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. Both videos point viewers to a pro-bridge website that invites people to email Horgan and Transportation Minister Claire Trevena directly.