The neighbourhood is dealing with the removal of large trees, increased exposure to noise and dust and the closure of a bike trail.
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For years, Riverwoods was a hidden gem, a cluster of 21 rancher-style townhomes tucked at the end of a rural road in Delta.
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Sheltered from Highway 99 by tall, black cottonwood trees, delivery trucks had trouble finding the cosy development, even though it was near the south end of the George Massey Tunnel.
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Nestled between farm fields and the Fraser River, the strata complex is within walking distance to a pub with waterfront patios, and a convenient bike trail provides easy access to Ladner village.
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Resident Allan Suckling says he and his neighbours — mostly retirees — “were not unrealistic” to the changes that lay ahead when the province announced plans to begin construction on a new eight-lane tunnel.
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But it has turned into one frustration after another, as residents say they have had to deal with the removal of large swaths of trees, increased exposure to noise and dust, and closure of the bike trail. And residents, many of whom are at a stage in life where they are ready to downsize, worry about what the delays, inconveniences and the eventual period of major construction could mean for their home values.
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“We’re basically told, ‘Suck it up, buttercup,” said Heather Grant, another resident.
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Their frustrations have only deepened in recent weeks after the province announced it had terminated the contractors for the $8.5 billion replacement project and that the scheduled completion date had been pushed to September 2031 from December 2030.
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After a number of mature trees were cleared in February, homes were exposed to the noise and view of highway traffic heading north into the tunnel. Residents were told by managers of the province’s project in March that a temporary noise barrier would be erected in the spring.
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A slide presentation prepared by the B.C. Transportation Investment Corp. showed the barrier would sit two to three metres from their properties, be about five metres high, and run about 175 metres long.
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It also mentioned there would be temporary areas set up further south so trucks could access heavy equipment and materials from the highway and not encroach on quiet roads.
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But as of this week, the noise barrier still has not gone up and residents have received no firm installation date.
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Homeowners were told recently by email from a tunnel project team manager that the area between their properties and the highway needs to be stripped, graded and backfilled to create a level platform that will support building a temporary access road. This will take between four to six weeks, and only after that can a noise barrier be erected.
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“They had cement trucks and dump trucks coming in here and they told us, ‘You could expect 10 dump trucks an hour’ on our road,” said Suckling.
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He took video of a “shrieking excavator” that operates from 7 a.m. until about noon.
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The residents say they can’t understand why staging for all the construction could not have been set up using empty space in Metro Vancouver’s Deas Island Regional Park.
