After almost a full-year closure for construction, West Vancouver's Highway 1 off-ramp to Westmount Road has reopened.
Crews closed the westbound Exit 7 off-ramp and on-ramp in May 2022 to allow crews to tunnel a stormwater drainage pipe under the highway, sending residents from the Westmount, West Bay or Sherman neighbourhoods on a detour via Exit 4 at Woodgreen Drive/Headland Drive.
Crews finally reopened the off-ramp on Friday. The westbound on-ramp from Cypress Bowl Road to Highway 1 opened in January.
“We certainly understand and empathize with the frustration in having this long-term closure,” said Natalie Roizman, community relations liaison for the District of West Vancouver. “We understand the impact that it had on our residents and we appreciate their patience.”
The closures were only supposed to last until September of 2022, but crews on the project were forced to go back to the drawing board when they encountered unexpected conditions in the soil under the highway, Roizman said. The project was first delayed when engineers discovered large boulders in the way of their boring machine. After their retooled machine made it through the boulders, they then found soft fill, which was much slower to remove.
The only alternative was to temporarily close/detour Highway 1 traffic.
“Our goal was to complete the project in the least disruptive way possible,” Roizman said.
Southridge Avenue resident Bruce Ward said there’s a sense of relief among his neighbours who’ve grown tired of detours and delays.
“It really was a long year,” he said, adding that each commute was about eight to 10 minutes longer than it normally would be, depending on the traffic.
“It’s a First World problem,” he said. “But now that it’s done, we’re much happier.”
While the highway infrastructure is now largely back in place, there will still need to be temporary closures for fresh line painting, Roizman said. That is tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 21, although it may be delayed by rain.
In 2013, the district completed an integrated stormwater management plan for the area, which found 18 culverts and 24 channels on Pipe, Westmount, Cave, Turner, and Godman creeks that would be insufficient to handle heavy stormwater runoff.
“And, as we know with climate change, we’re seeing increased storm events and extreme rain events, so we knew that this was an area that needed addressing,” Roizman said.
The district’s costs for the project are capped at $6.25 million, with British Pacific Properties picking up the rest of the tab, including the cost overruns associated with delays.
When the Five Creeks project is completed, about 800 homes south of the highway will face significantly reduced risk of flooding, Roizman said.
