A local MLA is alarmed by what he calls the "ballooning budget" of a highway widening project in Maple Ridge.
Maple Ridge East MLA Lawrence Mok said a $24 million overrun in the cost of widening Highway 7 from 266 Street to 287 Street highlights the NDP government's mismanagement of the project.
Construction for the project began in November 2022, to widen the four kilometre stretch of Lougheed Highway from two to four lanes of traffic, two in each direction.
At the time, the project was expected to cost $106.4 million and be completed in the fall of 2024.
However, it is actually expected to cost $130.19 million – a difference of $23.79 million – and will be finished in the fall of this year instead.
"Widening Highway 7 isn’t just important – it is essential. Thousands of residents in Maple Ridge and Mission rely on this vital route every day, and improvements to it are long overdue," said Mok about the project that is expected to ease the high flow of traffic between Maple Ridge and Mission.
"Clearly the government has taken their eye off the ball, and moved too slowly, and the more this has gotten delayed, the more the project will likely be exposed to material and input cost inflation. This is just another example of poor planning and mismanagement from this NDP Government," said Mok about the increased costs and schedule delay that was brought to light by a Maple Ridge resident.
However, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation and Transit maintained the project is on time for a fall finish in 2025 and on budget at $130.19 million.
Ravi Reetoo explained on behalf of the ministry that early in construction, a larger than anticipated number of archeological sites were located within the project footprint, and some minor redesigns were required to accommodate environmental concerns.
"As a result, schedule and budget forecasts were revised," said Reetoo, noting they were reflected in government’s 2023/24 financial update, published in the second quarterly report, put out in November 2023.
Mok believes that better planning, sharper oversight, and tighter control over contracts would have prevented increased costs and delays with the project. He also believes that there is a serious risk that this project could finish being even more over budget than it already is.
"That’s the NDP pattern on large projects like the Broadway Subway project, the Pattullo Bridge Replacement project, the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain Extension project, and the Cowichan District Hospital project – all experiencing cost overruns and schedule setbacks," he said.
"At the end of the day it is the taxpayers who are paying the price for the government’s lack of accountability and foresight.”
