Nina Grewal, MP for Fleetwood Port Kells, announced Friday that the South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR) under the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative, is on track with 80 percent of the road already complete. The new four-lane route will strengthen the economy when it opens in December 2013.

“We are celebrating a significant step towards the completion of 80 percent of the South Fraser Perimeter Road,” said MP Grewal. “Once fully complete, the new highway will directly link port facilities and rail yards and industrial areas to highways 1, 91, 99 and the Golden Ears Bridge which will improve the movements of goods and people. The new road will improve the efficiency, reliability and capacity of the Lower Mainland road network by connecting port facilities such as the Deltaport container terminal, Port Metro Vancouver docks and Seaspan to rail yards, Canada/US border crossings and many industrial areas. Our government supported the South Fraser Perimeter Road project with $365 million in funding and it is gratifying to see such an economically vital project nearing completion.”

The SFPR is a 40-kilometre, four-lane highway along the south side of the Fraser River in Surrey and Delta. The eastern portion in Surrey opened in December 2012. Once complete in December 2013, the SFPR will cut commute times for families traveling round trip from Delta to Highway 1 in Langley by an hour a day.

To date, the Government of Canada has invested in Asia Pacific Gateway infrastructure projects, valued at approximately $3.5 billion, with federal investments of $1.4 billion, in partnership with all four western provinces, municipalities, and the private sector. As a result of these strategic investments and partnerships, Canadian exports to the Asia-Pacific region have reached record levels. Bilateral trade with China reached record levels in 2012 and is now Canada’s second-largest export destination after the United States