Supporting construction has begun to replace the 62-year-old George Massey Tunnel on Highway 99 in Richmond, B.C., south of Vancouver—marking a definitive turn in the multi-year, on-again, off-again plan to replace it with an eight-lane immersed tube tunnel as part of the $3.32-billion project, with an expected 2030 operatiing date.
With decade-long discussions to replace the tunnel, a four-lane passage that allows for one lane to change directions based on traffic needs, plans were already moving forward on a 10-lane bridge as the replacement. But a change in government leadership in British Columbia led to its cancellation months before construction was set to begin. New provincial leaders settled on the tunnel solution in 2020 to carry 80,000 daily vehicles.