What Is the Gateway Program?

The Gateway Program is a series of expansion projects intended to ‘Relieve bottleneck traffic’ which will add new lanes to bridges and roads in Greater Vancouver. The program is hosted mainly by Kevin Falcon, Minister of Transportation. The general public oppose this program but the idea is still nosing it’s publicly unapproved way into reality.

Projects and Environmental Impacts

South Fraser Perimeter Road

• The SFPR is right on the border of Burns Bog. One of the environmental assessments said that dust from the road could change the chemical composition of the bog by adding a higher calcium content which would slow or inhibit the growth of sphagnum moss, which is vital to the bog ecosystem because the plants need it to grow and the animals need it to live. There are numerous endangered species living in the bog and this would be very harmful to thier already dwindling populations. Although the bog is protected by many zoning codes prohibiting it’s development, the politicians argue that it is not actually in the bog, just bordering it on the ecologically sensitive land that scientists have said is essential to the survival of the bog.

• The death of a bog, or part of one, results in the release of tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide. This would reverse the effects of what would then be formerly the Lungs of the Lower Mainland. People in the area, the Sunbury Neighbourhood,complain that there will be low air quality for 2000 homes, 5000 people, and 3 school.

• The current plan for the road runs through seven protected ravines. This would be very bad for the ecology in the area.

• Many homes will be taken from thier owners to allow the building of the road. The majority of the homes are heratige buildings and the majority of the owners are elderly citizens.

• The building of the road will make the housing drop in value.

• The topography of the land around the planned road will make any noise it will carry up the hillside, ampitheatre style. None of the physical sound barriers that Gateway has proposed to solve this problem will make a significant difference. The residents in this part of Delta are concerned about all the noise pollution.

• The planned road will directly affect 222 acres of agricultural land making the land less fertile. 37 acres will have to be discontinued from use entirely. Well cared-for agricultural land is very difficult to replace.

Port Mann/Highway 1

The PMH1 Project will expand a formerly 5-lane highway and bridge (Port Mann Bridge) to eight lanes. It will encourage much more traffic and congestion, contrary to the project’s ‘goals’. I have not yet gotten access to the environmental assessment for this project and I will post more information on it ASAP.

Other Projects

North Fraser Perimeter Road

Learn More at:  http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/gateway/NFPR/NFPR.htm

Pitt River Bridge/Mary Hill Interchange

Learn More at: http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/gateway/prb-maryhill/prb.htm

External Links

Some of these are not real links because if certain people track me back to here they might not be as agreeable in their responses to my letters.

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/gateway/index.htm