Taxpayers will fork out at least $3 million to fix the South Fraser Perimeter Road.
A portion of the highway that connects Surrey and Delta with the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal was built over an old garbage dump and is now slowly sinking into the ground.
The BC NDP government figures it will keep sinking until at least 2024. It already spends $600,000 a year to raise and repave the highway and it’s accusing the BC Liberals of not building it properly in the first place.
“We call that stretch of the highway the BC Liberal garbage bumps,” said Delta North MLA Ravi Kahlon.
In turn, the BC Liberals said they have a long history of building quality roads, and accused the provincial government of “making a mountain out of a molehill.
“No one complains that it's been built,” said Richmond MLA Jas Johal. “So at the end of the day, let's look at it, let's find an engineering solution – let's deal with it.”
Signs dot the highway near the Alex Fraser bridge warning drivers the bumps are ahead, and the road is scarred with marks where vehicle didn’t slow down and bottomed-out.
“My son enjoys going fast over that, but I don't think anybody else does,” said Kahlon
The expressway has been controversial since the start. It bypasses the Burns Bog and critics raised environmental and First Nations concerns.
A geotechnical report for the past government dated September 2006, raised issues with the soil in parts of the route.
The report reads, "There are associated considerations such as post-construction settlement that affect the long-term performance of the roadway."
Once the road finally settles, the government said it will look for a permanent solution for the 200-metre-long section.
And only then will taxpayers know the full cost for repairs.
