A group campaigning to have a tunnel rather than an overland highway built for the Sea to Sky Highway to Horseshoe Bay received some bad news last week when a powerful potential ally stated support for the enemy.
The Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs held out hope that BC Ferries Services would denounce a plan to build an overland highway after a meeting between ferry terminal management and the Ministry of Transportation to discuss the logistics of operating a ferry terminal around the project.
"We were concerned about safety on the highway and just wanted to ensure that the plan is going to work with us," said BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall.
Marshall said that BC Ferries came out of the meeting in support of the ministry's plan because they were assured that once a contractor was in place, management would have input on detail design around Horseshoe Bay terminal and about the timing of lane or road closures.
"Obviously, trying to have lane closures in the middle of August would have quite an impact on our operation, so they said that they're happy to meet with us to mitigate any impact on the terminal operation. We're quite happy with the option that they came up with," said Marshall.
Dennis Perry, head of the Eagleridge coalition, had said that he believed BC Ferries would agree with the group's conclusion that the new interchange would be unsafe.
He said, however, that he isn't surprised BC Ferries ended up sided with the ministry, but that the coalition is continuing to campaign throughout the Howe Sound corridor. A presentation to Lions Bay council Monday (March 7) resulted in no support from Mayor Douglas Miller, who has been a vocal advocate for the ministry's plan.
The group presents their case to Squamish council Tuesday (March 15).
