The Editor,

Re: "Another bridge flaw," the Now, Feb. 5. Jatinder Sandhu is correct - HOV drivers must use 156th Street in order to be in the HOV lane and receive the HOV discount when they pass under the toll gantry.

What I'd like to point out is these new dedicated HOV ramps are designed to complement the larger improvements of the 152nd Street Interchange.

In fact, I expect many HOV drivers will prefer using the new 156th Street ramps over the traditional entrance and exit at 152nd Street.

The 156th Street interchange is a brand new set of on-and off-ramps built to provide fast, efficient and convenient access to the Highway 1 HOV lane for HOV vehicles. 152nd Street has traditionally been one of the busiest interchanges on the Port Mann/Highway 1 corridor, and giving HOV vehicles their own, dedicated ramps at 156th Street makes Highway 1 access from Surrey more efficient.

These new HOV ramps are less than a minute away from 152nd Street, and entering and exiting via 156th shouldn't add any additional travel time for most drivers.

Having HOV traffic use these new ramps will also take some pressure off the 152nd Street interchange, which has been one of the primary causes of the traffic bottleneck at the east end of the Port Mann Bridge.

The new wider bridge, a new 152nd Street interchange and HOV access via 156th Street are all working together to clear what was once the worst traffic bottleneck in B.C.

The new HOV and transit ramps at 156th Street are just one of the many HOV and transit investments included in the Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement Project.

Mike Proudfoot, CEO Transportation Investment Corporation