Both the Rosedale overhead and the Agassiz-Rosedale bridge structures will be improved with seismic and safety retrofits to ensure the Highway 9 corridor is kept safe and reliable, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone announced today.
These two bridges on Highway 9 form a critical link between the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 7, connecting the communities of Rosedale and Agassiz and serving residents, commercial drivers and tourists,” said Stone. “Through BC on the Move, we increased our bridge rehabilitation funding by 50 per cent over previous years, and this latest investment adds to the more than $4 billion in infrastructure replacements and major highway seismic retrofits already undertaken by the B.C. government.”
The ministry will invest approximately $36 million in this two-phase highway rehabilitation project. These structures were built in the 1950s, and they require seismic and safety upgrades to maintain current levels of service for traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians.
Project Phases
Phase 1 — Design and construction of the Rosedale Overhead — work will start in May 2017, and is scheduled for completion in spring of 2018.
Phase 2 — Design and construction of the Agassiz-Rosedale Bridge — design is taking place now, and the construction timeline is still being determined.
"As a government, we have been diligently working to retrofit our existing structures and to build new bridges that meet current-day seismic standards," said Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness Naomi Yamamoto. “These structures serve as a critical alternative route to Highway 1. It is exciting that we can add these two crossings to that list of important seismic upgrades.”
The ministry is working in close partnership with the Cheam First Nation on the design of these seismic and safety upgrades.
“Highway 9 is a major connector route for this area, with more than 11,000 vehicles per day using the section near the bridges,” said Chilliwack-Hope MLA Laurie Throness. “The work to widen the bridge will improve safety and ensure reliability on this important transportation corridor.”
The Rosedale overhead crosses the railway and is located south of the Fraser River. Work will include seismic upgrades to the abutments and bridge deck, and expansion to allow two metre- wide shoulders for cyclists and pedestrians.