The District of West Vancouver took the provincial and federal governments to court last week in an attempt to stop a proposed overland route for the Sea to Sky Highway at Horseshoe Bay.
Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said, however, that "there's not a ghost of a chance" that the ministry will revisit the decision to build a 2.4 km stretch of highway and consider a tunnel instead.
West Vancouver is stating that the environmental effects of an overland route are unacceptable and it has asked the court to overturn the federal government's decision to grant the environmental certification.
A Federal Court judicial review heard arguments from Feb. 15 to 18 last week. Those opposing the highway say a four-lane divided tunnel would not only meet environmental objectives, but would be safer and would resolve the on-going Sea to Sky ferry traffic issue.
"The tunnel has no negative impacts," said Dennis Perry, head of the Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs. "It is one kilometre shorter thus saving 12 hours of driving per year for every Sea to Sky driver. The 5 million kilometres reduction in miles driven each year reduces green house gas emissions by 1,250 tonnes and saves millions of dollars in fuel consumption."
The Coalition held a press conference Wednesday (Feb. 16) that included North Vancouver District Mayor Janice Harris, North Vancouver City councillor and provincial North Vancouver NDP candidate Craig Keating, West Vancouver Mayor Ron Wood Ted Allen, the NDP candidate for Surrey-Cloverdale. The coalition says that the proposed highway is unacceptable because it will pave an area through Eagleridge Bluffs and the wetlands above Horseshoe Bay.
But Falcon said that the route would not bisect the wetlands.
"I'm getting a little tired of the misrepresentation they're putting out there," said Falcon. "I have been left with no shadow of a doubt that the public interest is best served in every possible category whether it's safety, whether it's environmental impact, whether it's future capacity or whether it's cost."
Falcon said that an environmental impact study showed that a tunnel could potentially drain the wetlands and would threaten Nelson Creek, a nearby fish-bearing stream. He also said that a four-lane overland route would result in half the number of fatalities that a two-lane undivided tunnel would cause. West Vancouver and the Coalition, however, are proposing a four-lane divided tunnel, but the cost of such a project makes it unfeasible, said Falcon.
"When I pointed out to West Vancouver that that would cost well in excess of $200 million and would they be willing to put up dollars to contribute to that, they made it very clear that no they were not prepared to do that and that option was dropped very quickly."
Perry said he was aware of Falcon's request for contribution from regions.
"I think that's huge heavy-handedness and intimidation," he said. "And we don't believe Falcon's numbers. There may not be a difference in cost between the two. And it's possible [the tunnel] is even cheaper."
But Falcon said there's no doubt that a tunnel will be more expensive
