Falcon would cancel Massey tunnel project, says NDP

THE NDP pointed out on Thursday that as the government takes the next big step to build a new Massey crossing project, B.C. Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon has made it clear that he would halt construction, keeping commuters stuck in traffic another three years.

“That tunnel is going to get cancelled if we form government,” Falcon told Radio Red FM.

Falcon’s plan to go back to a toll bridge would require a new environmental assessment and take nine years to complete.

Starting that process in 2024 would delay completion of the crossing until 2033, three years later than the tunnel is set to open. It would also mean writing off millions of dollars that has already been committed to work on the tunnel, said the NDP.

It noted that Falcon’s promise to cancel the project was criticized by Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who told Global News: “I just don’t think it’s an idea that should go forward. To go back in time, back to the future to a 10-lane bridge which, really, very few want.”

NDP MLA for Richmond-Queensborough Aman Singh said: “People who use the Massey Tunnel everyday have waited a long time for a replacement that works. They’re tired of it. Kevin Falcon wants to keep them stuck in traffic longer. We want to get this done for people and today we took a big step towards that.”

He added: “Kevin Falcon’s plan to scrap our progress on a new Massey crossing and start over on a tolled bridge will cost people. On top of making people wait longer for a new crossing, he’ll also make them pay to use it. People can’t afford that.”

Singh noted: “When the BC NDP took tolls off the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges, it put money back in people’s pockets at a time when life was getting more and more expensive. That’s why we did it. If Kevin Falcon still thinks tolls are a good idea, then he’s really not thinking about families and their costs. He’s not working for people.”