Editor:
Re: Surrey OKs $360M plan for congestion relief, July 27.
I was glad to see from your first-page headline that Surrey is moving ahead with a plan for congestion relief for its main roads and highways.
But upon reading further, and then reviewing the plan that council had endorsed, I was shocked to find no mention of widening 16 Avenue.
I wonder if any of the council members have driven east or west along 16th, between Highway 99 and 192nd and beyond? It’s a single-lane truck route; it often takes up to 15 minutes to get from 168th east across 176th, or from 184 west to 176th.
As you know, trucks coming from the U.S. drive up 176th; some continue north on it, but many go east on 16th – especially since the industrial park at 192nd was begun.
Also, many local truckers going between South Surrey and Langley choose this route rather than going north to Highway 10 first.
And this congestion will be compounded by all the townhouses and other residential units that are currently being built along 16th!
For sure, 24 Avenue needs to be widened – given all the townhouses being built along it, that widening should have been done years ago. Widening 32nd might also be nice, and all of the other improvements mentioned in the plan are necessary.
But widening 16th is crucial!
Geoff Dean, Surrey