LANGLEY (NEWS 1130) – For years, it’s been a major hassle for anyone to use the Trans-Canada Highway in either direction east of 216th Street. But a nine-figure announcement from the province this morning aims to clear up that major commuter choke point.

The BC Government is committing $113 million to expand the highway to six lanes between 216th and 264th Streets.

NEWS 1130 was able to confirm the project ahead of the official announcement this morning.

The massive project includes replacing the existing 232nd Street and Glover Road overpasses.

A CP Rail crossing will also be replaced. Right now, overheight trucks are forced to detour around it.

“Basically it’s the choke-point now on the number one highway as far as moving goods and services and people because it’s just gridlocked on a daily basis,” says Deputy Premier Rich Coleman.

The project builds off of a highway-widening project between 202nd Street and 216th Street, which is already underway. The end goal is to have six lanes from 202nd Street all the way to Whatcom Road in Abbotsford.

“Anybody that goes out of the Lower Mainland on a long weekend… or anyone that’s just commuting that stretch of road, everybody knows that this is now where a significant choke-point is for gridlock, and we want to fix it, so we’re going to,” Coleman adds.

Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun says he’s pleased with the announcement, but will still hold the government to account on its promise to eventually widen the freeway to Whatcom Road. He’s trying to clarify a timeline on how quickly that can be done.

“Our growth rate continues to be higher than a lot of other jurisdictions, so we have to be able to move people east and west,” he says.

The province’s commitment represents about half of the $235.5 million cost of the project. Coleman says it will be up to the federal government to pay for the rest.

He hopes to see the this phase of the widening project completed by early 2019.