Road extension that would divert freight traffic off Fruit Valley ‘going to go back to the drawing board’

“We’ve always known that it would go across the lowlands, and we’d have to find a way to convert some of that to right of way but never felt like that was a deal breaker,” Lopossa said. “We’re going to go back to the drawing board and look at a new alignment that doesn’t have as much of an impact on the lowlands as the current one does.”

The city purchased three parcels of land off Northeast 61st Street and Northwest Whitney Road in November. The 32nd Avenue extension was planned to go through the purchased property, but with the alignment changing it likely will not, Lopossa said.

The city still has use for the land, which could be used for mitigation for conservation land, stormwater impacts or a construction staging area for the Fruit Valley Road bridge replacement, Lopossa said.

Next steps

The 32nd Avenue extension is probably five to six years away, Lopossa said. First, the city has to figure out a new alignment.

The proposed Transportation System Plan — which guides investments in the city’s transportation system over the next 20 years — lists most Fruit Valley Road projects as medium priority. That’s because most of the road already has bike lanes.

“We have so many other places around the city where we don’t even have that, and when looking at priorities, we put a higher priority on places with no infrastructure,” Lopossa said.

Fruit Valley area residents say their neighborhood of about 1,000 homes has the poorest air quality in Vancouver, as it’s embedded in the heavy industrial zone near major roadways. It’s also one of the city’s most diverse and low-income communities.

The cost estimate for the original alignment was $125 million to $130 million. Lopossa said the project will likely cost north of $140 million as the cost of materials has increased.