Incoming interchange ?bloody criminal?
KENT SPENCER
The Province
Homeowners Eugene and Betty Nelson feel terribly wronged about a new freeway interchange that is coming to the Langley Township, a few paces from their front yard.
They face the prospect of 22,000 cars going by their kitchen window on a daily basis, along with increases in pollution and noise.
The Nelsons say it shouldn’t have been this way.
Back in 1991 when they bought their home on the corner of 216th Street and Telegraph Trail, township staff told them the interchange wouldn’t be built at 216th Street and future plans called for a site 100 metres distant at 217A Street.
“We left happy, knowing that if and when this did occur, there would be a large green space between our home and this connection,” Betty said.
(The township officials’ information was correct. In a recent report, township staff said the interchange was slated for 217A Street in the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
Fast forward 26 years: the retired couple face a scenario they took every step to avoid. A $59-million interchange has been approved and funded by the feds, province and township for 216th Street, about “25 feet” from the breakfast nook where the Nelsons sip their morning coffee, said Eugene.
Plans call for a full-access overpass over Highway 1; the province’s consultants predict vehicle traffic will go from 3,500 daily to 22,000.
“It’s bloody criminal,” said Eugene. “Cars will be lined up down the block in every direction. It’s going to be a ruddy mess.
“We can’t sell. It’s too late. We’ve already lost $200,000 on the price of the house.”
It gets worse. Betty has lung disease. Dr. Chris Carlsten, associate professor of medicine at UBC, said higher levels of particulate matter and poisonous gases at 216th Street “can be be predicted to infer a significantly increased risk of new asthma and heart-disease concerns.”
Betty said: “It’s going to be very bad.”
The area along 216th Street, called Forest Hills, is home to modern subdivisions on the west side and agricultural land on the east where cows used to graze.
The interchange is “critical” because the Fraser Valley is growing so fast, say the province and township. Vehicle flow at 216th Street and Telegraph Trail is currently controlled by stop signs; traffic lights will be installed as well as left-hand turn lanes in all four directions.
Chronic slowdowns will also be alleviated at the congested 200th Street crossing, the township said.
Mitigation measures will be introduced, including a large “noise attenuation” wall to act as sound barrier; and pedestrian safety features such as crosswalks will be installed to shield school children going to classes.
The township did not take questions on the matter last week. Erin Brocklehurst, corporate media liaison, said “as this is the province’s project, all inquires are being directed to the province’s senior project manager.”
Township staff said in a report that 216th Street has been the preferred site for an interchange since 1980, with the exception of a few years when 217A Street was the choice.
But the location is wrong, said Telegraph Trail resident Graeme Harfman, who added that residents are getting the runaround from officials who “deflect” questions rather than answer them.
Township officials have not followed the local government act, he said, which requires communities to have a chance for public consultation before land use plans are changed. Harfman said no such consultation took place regarding the re-designation of 216th Street from minor collector to arterial in Walnut Grove.
Misleading information continues to appear on the township website: Walnut Grove’s community plan on Jan. 19 showed 216th Street’s designation as a “minor collector” road, something which is clearly not the case, he added.
“A big thing is noise. I’ve lived near an interchange. You’re up at 5:30 because the cars are racing off and you don’t get to sleep until midnight,” he said.
Almost 1,100 people have signed a Change.org online petition against the plan; Harfman said he was struck by the passionate tone that mothers expressed about their kids’ safety.
“It used to be a very quiet neighbourhood before,” he said.
Nevertheless, the project is going ahead. A request for proposals has been put out; construction is expected to start in the spring and be completed in the fall of 2019.
The Nelsons said they “won’t be alive to see it.”
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