The fate of a bumpy stretch of Old Yale Road will be put to the public through an open house and online survey.
91原创 Township is considering options for upgrading the stretch of Old Yale Road between Fraser Highway and 216th Street.
That particular stretch of the road has been crumbling and rough for years, largely because of its unique heritage character.
It was the first stretch of road ever paved in 91原创, and is one of the oldest roads in the Lower Mainland.
Originally a dirt track for wagons carved through the forests in the 1870s from New Westminster to Yale, the Old Yale Road was covered with gravel in 1897.
Then in 1922, it was paved with concrete, and the contractor, A.B. Palmer, pressed his name into the concrete panels at intervals along the route, markings that were visible for many years.
However, the road was apparently laid over little to no foundation. That, plus a century of traffic, has meant the original concrete is crumbling in many places. The road is patched and widened with asphalt, but it remains a source of numerous complaints from drivers to the municipality.
Earlier this year, Township council voted to look at options for an upgrades, likely to be part of the 2024 civic budget.
The open house will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 1 from 4-7 p.m. at James Hill Elementary in Murrayville, at 22144 Old Yale Road.
Three options will be considered: conservation, commemoration, or reconstruction.
Conservation will retain a portion of the road, and close it to vehicular traffic, while allowing pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency vehicles to use it.
Commemoration would reconstruct part of the road in concrete to acknowledge its historic past, while bringing the road up to modern standards.
Reconstruction would rebuild the road in asphalt, and add marked bike lanes along the shoulders.
More details about the option, and an online survey on the matter, will be on the Township鈥檚 on Nov. 1.
This is not the first time the Township council has considered what to do with Old Yale, or even the first time there has been a public hearing on the matter 鈥� one was held back in 2015 as well, and debate over whether to upgrade or rebuild the road goes back many years before that.
The council of the day considered the same three options that are on the table this time, but none of them was actually put into practice.
PREVIOUSLY: Crumbling Old Yale Road in Murrayville could get upgrade in 2024
