Pre-loading and excavation on the South Fraser Perimeter Road is now beginning in South Delta, but as construction continues to move forward project opponents like Eliza Olson say they won’t give up their fight.

“Our opinion is until last shovel is in the ground it’s still worth fighting,” says the president of the Burns Bog Conservation Society. “Because of all the concerns with global warming, loss of rare and endangered species, and the fact that when you destroy bog, you’re returning carbon back into the atmosphere—which is kind of hypocritical of the current government, especially when they’re hitting us with a carbon tax.”

The 40 km, four lane route planned to link Deltaport Way with major highways and the new Golden Ears Bridge will skirt Burns Bog and eat up a few hundred acres of farmland in South Delta, raising a number of issues for opponents.

“It forced one dairy farmer to probably close his operation because he could no longer grow the amount of forage his dairy herd required,” says Delta-South MLA Vicki Huntington.

The community’s newly elected representative says one of the first things she wants to do is build public awareness around the enormity of the South Fraser Perimeter Road.

“Nobody envisions an intersection at Highway 99 and 72nd (Street) that looks like something straight out of Los Angeles,” says Huntington. “And in this day and age making a road like that on agricultural land when there are alterntaives is nothing short of negligent.”

Olson also says a main challenge has also been educating people on the potential impacts of the highway.

The society has mailed out 10,000 to 15,000 letters to residents, and has set up displays at events such as last weekend’s Ladner Village Market where it is encouraging the public to sign a petition.

Olson was encouraged by the results of the recent provincial election in both South and North Delta (North Deltans re-elected NDP MLA Guy Gentner).

“I think the people in both South and North Delta sent very strong messages of their opposition to the road.”

Like Olson, Huntington says even though construction work as begun, she won’t stop voicing her opposition to the highway.

“It is never, never too late to do the right thing. And the right thing is to examine viable alternatives that exist,” she says. “And that is the upgrading of River Road, allowing the municipality or supporting the municipality in continuing to construct River Way, which is a paralell road to the new highway along the south part of Tilbury, and using Highway 99 and 91.”

The provincial project is supported by the federal government, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper commiting $365 million to the $1 billion dollar project, a third of the cost.

Project director Geoff Freer has told the Leader in the past there are no concerns about the SFPR harming the local ecology.

Last summer, the Ministry of Transportation received an environmental assessment certificate for the SFPR from the province.

The assessment includes about 140 commitments such as that the project “complement long-term management objectives of the Burns Bog Ecological Conservation Area,” improve drainage and irrigation networks and farm vehicle access within the Agricultural Land Reserve in Delta, and provide an air quality and dust control plan.

Construction on the northern portion of the highway began late last year. Pre-load work in South Delta is now beginning around Highway 17 and Highway 99. The Gateway Program web site lists 72nd St. near Ladner Trunk Road, 64th St.near Hwy 17, 32nd Ave. near 192nd St., Burns Dr. at 72nd St., 80th St. at Progress Way, and on Hwy 99 4 km west of the Hwy 10 interchange.

Ministry of Transportation communications director Dave Crebo says the pre-load work in South Delta is not expected to cause any major traffic delays.

“The Ministry is not expecting any delays or disruptions because the work is adjacent to existing streets and highways.”

About 80 people are working on the road, he says, and the pre-load work is expected to be completed by December.

Crebo also says the province is on schedule in the search for a private partner to help design, build, operate and finance the road.

A request for proposals was issued earlier this year in April, and the contact is expected to be awarded in spring of 2010.

—with files from Philip Raphael
http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/southdeltaleader/news/48…