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Ice Hawks make coaching change despite strong start
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YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL SPORTS, NEWS, WEATHER AND ENTERTAINMENT! WWW.DELTA-OPTIMIST.COM The Voice of Delta since 1922 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2010
Special Section Inside Today's Edition
Delta
Carlene Lewall
Long-awaited gymnastics facility taking shape in Ladner
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Ian Paton
Delta’s newestcouncillor never aspired to be a politician
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The changing face of
Highway 17
PHOTO BY
CHUNG CHOW
Construction of the South Fraser Perimeter Road continues adjacent to Highway 17 near Deltaport Way.
Much work underway, or planned, for South Delta’s main corridor BY
SANDOR GYARMATI
sgyarmati@delta-optimist.com
Big changes are happening along Highway 17. Construction has begun on a $12 million interchange that’s part of the $1 billion South Fraser Perimeter Road highway that will stretch all the way to Highway 1. The interchange will be built adjacent to the existing Highway 17 crossing of the B.C. Rail line and will connect Deltaport Way and Highway 17 traffic to the SFPR. “This project sets the stage for improving Metro Vancouver’s major road network,” said Transportation Minister Shirley Bond. “The interchange will connect to the new South Fraser Perimeter Road, which will reduce heavy truck traffic on community streets, improve the movement of people and goods and will create up to 7,000 jobs.” To be completed in August 2011, minimal traffic delays
PHOTO COURTESY OF
PIN POINT PRODUCTIONS
The first nine holes of the golf course being built as part of the Tsawwassen Springs development are taking shape adjacent to Highway 17 near 52nd Street. are expected during interchange construction, according to the ministry. There’s also going to be a new overpass at 28th Avenue. To be completed by the end of next
March, the work is being delivered by the SFPR project team on behalf of Port Metro Vancouver, according to the ministry. The $4.7 million contract involves construction of an “agricultural
structure” over the highway and associated embankments. Further down the road, work is continuing on Tsawwassen Springs, a redevelopment of the Tsawwassen Golf and Country
Club that includes 490 housing units and a lengthened course. The project is bordered by Highway 17 and 52nd Street, where the intersection will also undergo an upgrade. Across the road from Tsawwassen Springs, things could also change with construction of a major commercial centre on Tsawwassen First Nation property. The TFN Economic Development Corporation as been in talks with a firm regarding opportunities for the band’s commercial zone fronting the highway. At this point it’s not clear whether the site will have a mall, big box stores or some other form of retail. A TFN spokesperson said details on what’s being contemplated are not being released at this time, but there will likely be an update made public by late November. According to the TFN’s comSee HIGHWAY 17 page 3