Mission – APRIL 30 2024 UPDATE – (From City of Mission on Instagram) – The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is kicking off work on re-routing truck traffic off First Avenue. Motorists can expect delays along Highway 7, including the Murray Street overpass, between Glasgow Avenue and Catherwood Street starting May 1st through the summer.
Highway construction work will have the shoulder closed and a traffic pattern change in effect. For more information, visit DriveBC.ca.
NOVEMBER 2023 ORIGINAL STORY Major changes coming for truck traffic in Mission’s downtown core. That means the rumble of the trucks will be diverted.
Heavy commercial vehicles headed West will be rerouted from Highway 7 to Highway 11 via Glasgow Avenue and Horne Street.
In the past, they would travel through downtown.
Road improvements have already been announced for Highway 7 (West of Mission) and this process of start up (Highway 7 and Murray Street intersection and the Glasgow Avenue and Horne Street intersection) is all pending the issuing of contracts. The project should be completed sometime in 2024.
Abbotsford-Mission MLA Pam Alexis, Mission Mayor Paul Horn and Mission Downtown Business Association Executive Director Karley Holley made the announcement Tuesday (November 21) morning
Alexis said: “It means that the merchants who have been asking for this forever will be able to … think about the world differently and focus on business, focus on walkability.”
Horn says getting the trucks out of downtown is just phase one. He says the Ministry of Transportation’s support and the work being done with the South Mission Transportation Study can help realize the vision of the 1973 bridge construction meant to allow traffic to miss the downtown entirely.
“Mission is literally a community on the move, and this piece of infrastructure has been a pinch point for downtown and the waterfront for decades,” said Mayor Horn. “This is huge news because it demonstrates how the Province is committed to addressing our growth needs by providing long-term transportation solutions for our community through this work.”
The new trucking route is being delivered in parallel with the South Mission Integrated Planning Study announced by the Province earlier this fall. The Province will also be completing design work to improve traffic flow at the intersection of Highway 7 and 11.
“Over the past three years, MLA D’Eith and Minister Alexis have made sure more than a dozen Ministers have visited Mission to see firsthand our challenges and opportunities,” said Horn. “This is just one example of how their advocacy has put us on the map.”
Conversations surrounding heavy traffic and First Avenue have been ongoing in the community for years. A business engagement process led by the City of Mission in 2021 saw the majority of business owners in favour of keeping heavy trucks off First Avenue.
“This marks the start of great things coming to Downtown Mission,” Karley Holley Executive Director of the Downtown Business Association. “The Mission Downtown Business Association is committed to seeing the heart of our City evolve in a way that stimulates economic growth, creates a safe space for all and allows businesses to thrive in a vibrant, walkable environment. Downtown Mission has a very bright future, and this is just the beginning.”
“The Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce is delighted to learn about the planned changes to the local truck route that will significantly benefit our downtown community and storefronts,” said Miriam Bozman, Executive Director of the Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce. “The positive impact of these changes on our local businesses, as well as the overall livability of our community, cannot be overstated.”
