Portion of major Chilliwack road finally resurfaced as construction project exceeds timelines

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CHILLIWACK — Anyone’s that driven on Tyson Road near South Sumas Road over the past year in Chilliwack has experienced a jarring ride to say the least amid ongoing public works and construction improvements to the area.

But in the past few days, motorists have experienced a much smoother ride in both directions now that Tyson Road has been resurfaced starting at Balmoral Road and proceeding north through to the newly improved intersection at South Sumas.

The improvements will do wonders to improve the overall driveability through the area, which has been bogged down by intermittent traffic bottlenecks due to construction.

As of May 12, upcoming work included milling and paving works, line marking and signage installations.

Construction-related activities on Tyson Road began in February 2024 with tree and vegetation removals and land survey works, followed by the official construction start in March 2024. The project was supposed to take a year but is overdue by two months at this point.

Construction activities for Tyson Road consist of the following:

• Curb installation and multi-use pathways on both sides of Tyson Road
• A signalized intersection upgrade/widening at South Sumas Road
• 1,270 metres of road widening/reconstruction
• Drainage works
• Paving
• Streetlighting
• Street trees

Once completed, the municipality states Tyson Road will become the first north-south thoroughfare in Chilliwack with continuous cycle and pedestrian facilities. The roughly 1-kilometer section that had been without sidewalks represented the only section of Tyson Road without sidewalks along the 8.5-km corridor. The city had ranked it among its highest priority projects in its Active Transportation Plan, and identified it as a core route in the city’s Cycle Vision Plan.

Part of the project will be funded by $500,000 from the B.C. Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program.