British ColumbiaAs more major construction on the Trans-Canada Highway is set to begin in the Fraser Valley next year, motorists crawling along Highway 1 are already wondering when the work is going to end.Construction on Highway 1 between Langley and Chilliwack will continue until at least 2031Kier Junos · CBC News · Posted: Oct 07, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours agoHighway 1 construction near Mount Lehmann in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (Ben Nelms/CBC)As more major construction on the Trans-Canada Highway is set to begin in B.C.’s Fraser Valley next year, motorists crawling through congestion along Highway 1 are already wondering when the work is going to end.”The bottleneck in Abbotsford is incredible,” said Ron Block, who said he has been driving on Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley for decades.”It’s always backed up — doesn’t matter if there’s an accident, or the time of day,” said motorist Danielle Burbidge.Last summer, the province announced it would widen Highway 1 from 216 Street in Langley through Abbotsford, investing almost $5 billion to open up the nearly 50-kilometre, often cramped major route.Highway widening between 216 and 264 streets is expected to be done sometime in 2026, and widening between 264 Street and Mt. Lehman Road is expected to finish in 2029. That work includes new high-occupancy/electric vehicle lanes on both sides.”It’s going to make a difference, but I think we need more than one extra lane,” said Burbidge. “I think we need to be thinking more into the future.”The B.C. government declined an interview request, but Transportation and Transit Minister Mike Farnworth said in a written statement that officials know people in the area find travel increasingly difficult with traffic volume on the highway.”The improvements we’re making to the highway will add capacity for transit and active transportation, making it easier and quicker for people to get where they need to go,” said Farnworth.When will Highway 1 construction be done?According to the province, a number of interchanges will also be revamped along Highway 1.Highway widening between between 216 and 264 streets is expected to be done sometime in 2026, and widening between 264 Street and Mt. Lehman Road is expected to finish in 2029. The interchanges at 232, 264 and Mt. Lehman Road are among a number of highway exits in the Fraser Valley that will be optimized. (CBC News)Major construction is expected to begin next year on the Peardonville Road underpass, improvements to McCallum Road, Clearbrook Road and Highway 11 interchanges.Also, reconstruction of CPKC’s railway overpass in Langley Township — which has previously been hit by trucks, leading to enormous delays — is expected to start early 2026.The government anticipates these projects to be fully complete in 2031.Expansion of Highway 1 through Sumas Prairie still unknownThe last phase of Highway 1 widening through Sumas Prairie to Chilliwack is still being planned with future flooding in mind.”We only have to look back to 2021 when we had the devastating floods and atmospheric rivers that happened on the Sumas Prairie, and we saw Highway 1 shut down for only a few days,” said Alex Mitchell, CEO of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce.Mitchell wants to see a timeline for expanding that stretch of the highway, because of how it serves farmers in the Sumas Prairie — major contributors to Abbotsford’s economy.The transport and transit ministry wasn’t able to provide a timeline, but said it’s working with First Nations and multiple levels of government to make a regional flood mitigation strategy, adding that plans are underway to find highway improvements that work with the strategy.But for now, motorists are stuck looking at each other’s brake lights.”It’s a really bad experience on the highway, it’s always … construction,” said rideshare driver Droun Handa.”Right now, I just left someone at the airport — they were so worried whether they were going to reach [it] on time or not.”ABOUT THE AUTHORKier is an award-winning journalist reporting from CBC’s Fraser Valley bureau in Abbotsford.
Stuck in traffic, Highway 1 motorists wonder whether widening work is worth it
