Why aren’t Massey Tunnel counterflow lane changes in earlier?

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – If you’ve been stuck in southbound traffic on Highway 99, you’ve probably wondered why they don’t just open up the counterflow lane earlier than 3 p.m.

The standard time when the counterflow opens southbound is on the 99 is 3:15 in the afternoon — District Manager Ashok Bhatti with the Ministry of Transportation says that’s a decision made based on traffic analysis.

“The time frame comes from a great deal of traffic analysis,” says Bhatti. “What we find at the George Massey Tunnel is there is an imbalance in the peak hour flow. It’s a heavy a.m. direction northbound and it’s a heavy southbound direction in the p.m. So, what we’re trying to do is balance that through the counterflow system.”

Chad Dey, who reports on traffic from the air for News1130, was asked if he had any thoughts on whether the lane should be opened sooner — but says two lanes are needed northbound before 3 as well from his vantage point.

“Northbound can be just as bad,” says Dey. “Some days you can experience and see a backup to the Delta Works Yard, even with two lanes a lot of people are heading to Vancouver, maybe they’re going to take the Sea-to-Sky to go to Whistler, that sort of thing. Really there’s no perfect [choice] at the Massey Tunnel as it’s currently configured.”

Looks like we’ll have to put up with this situation until we get the new bridge.

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