VICTORIA — The B.C. government has approached Richmond landowners to discuss acquiring property, as it considers expanding Highway 99 as part of the proposed new Massey bridge.

The move comes at a time when the province is under fire from critics for long delays in releasing basic information about the multi-billion-dollar project’s scope, size and budget.

And it has sparked renewed concerns from Richmond’s mayor that agricultural land could be at risk for an ill-defined provincial project that has left local politicians in the dark.

“Very importantly, they are now talking to the landowners of some of that farmland on the highway, between Steveston Highway and Blundell, and they are talking in terms of taking a part of that land all the way along the highway, for extra land to widen the highway,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie.

It could be as much as 15 metres on properties that border the west side of Highway 99, he said. “Whichever side they want to take it from is a great concern to us.”

One side of the highway borders several religious and cultural centres, schools and temples, whereas the other side of the highway includes some protected agricultural land.

Conversations with Richmond landowners have been underway since 2014, and the province is trying to explain what land might eventually be needed, said Geoff Freer, Massey bridge project executive director.

“We sit down with them and give them the best information we’ve got at the time, to give them an indication of where we think we’re going to be, with the proviso we haven’t completed our work yet so we can’t give them something down to the closest metre,” said Freer.

The end result of land deals may in fact be a benefit, he said.

“One of the key things we’ve been looking at is effects on agricultural property,” said Freer. “It’s actually looking now like we will be able to give some property back to agriculture that’s currently being used for highway.”

The Ministry of Transportation is under fire from critics for its lack of public detail on what is estimated to be at least a $3-billion project.

Premier Christy Clark first announced the bridge in 2013. But the business plan, promised for spring 2014, is now a year and a half late. Transportation Minister Todd Stone has been grilled in the legislature about the lack of paper records or a business case, after a Freedom of Information request turned up no records on the supporting material the premier used to justify the bridge announcement.

The bridge will replace the George Massey Tunnel and span the Fraser River, linking Richmond and Delta. It could eliminate one of the worst road and marine traffic bottlenecks in B.C.

The size, scope, budget, bridge type and construction schedule remains largely unknown. Stone has said new information is coming within weeks.

In the meantime, local politicians say they are being left out of the loop.

Richmond council has not received any response from Stone’s ministry to a July letter it sent asking for information, said Brodie.

“I’d be very disappointed if they just decided they’d take some land or remove some land from the agricultural land reserve,” he said.