Central Fraser Valley Transit System (formerly known as ValleyMAX ) is a public transit system which provides bus services in the Central Fraser Valley area of British Columbia , Canada . Funding for the system is provided by the City of Abbotsford , the District of Mission , the University of the Fraser Valley and BC Transit , the agency responsible for planning and management of municipal transit systems throughout the province. Other than planning and managing bus routes, The Central Fraser Valley Transit System contracts out most of its bus services to FirstCanada ULC.
26-663: Most bus routes run entirely within the urban areas of either Abbotsford or Mission, with the GoLines providing the backbone of the system with transfer-free crosstown service in Abbotsford. The Valley Connector routes link the two communities via the Abbotsford-Mission Highway across the Fraser River . To provide a balanced service, routes are intensified through central Abbotsford, while smaller buses operate on some routes as
52-523: A direct transfer to the Skytrain . handyDART is a transportation service for people with disabilities that do not allow them to use the conventional transit service. Clients must be pre-approved to make use of this service. Central Fraser Valley Transit provides connecting services to the West Coast Express , which terminates at Mission City Station . This commuter rail service runs to Vancouver in
78-505: A flexible "community bus" during off peak hours. Regular service on busy routes is between 6 am and 10:30/11 pm. In March 2022 BC Transit extended their Fraser Valley Express (FVX) route 66 between Chilliwack and Langley via Abbotsford to terminate at Lougheed Town Centre station in Burnaby giving travellers from the Fraser Valley region a much easier connection to Metro Vancouver via
104-410: A population density of 24.3/km (63.0/sq mi) in 2021. According to the 2011 Census, 76.47% of Fraser Valley's population have English as mother tongue ; Punjabi is the mother tongue of 10.02% of the population, followed by German (3.49%), Dutch (1.39%), French (1.07%), Korean (0.69%), Spanish (0.66%), Tagalog (0.35%), Chinese, n.o.s. (0.33%), and Vietnamese (0.30%). While
130-792: Is bordered by Whatcom County, Washington to the south, Metro Vancouver to the west, the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District to the east, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District to the northwest, and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District to the northeast. It also includes unincorporated areas north of the City of Pitt Meadows , which were part of the Dewdney-Alouette Regional District but which were not transferred to
156-402: Is inaccessible or uninhabitable. This inhabited lowland area is also known as Hatzic Valley , and includes the unincorporated localities of McConnell Creek and Miracle Valley in the north, and Hatzic Prairie and the farming town of Durieu in the south. This small but populous (~1,800 pop.) Electoral Area lies mainly north of the Fraser River but also encompasses portions of Sumas Mountain to
182-734: The Fraser Canyon . Communities in this area are connected by three highways (Highway #1, #3, #5) which radiate out of the District of Hope. The communities of Dogwood Valley , Emory Creek , and Choate are just north of Hope and have a combined population of about 133 people. Sunshine Valley is a community on BC Highway 3 southeast of Hope with 164 people and was originally a Japanese internment camp named Tashme. Other communities in this area include Laidlaw , west of Hope, and Spuzzum , north of Yale . Communities in this area include Lake Errock with 368 people, Harrison Mills with 141 people, and
208-608: The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) when it expanded to include Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge . As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , the Fraser Valley Regional District had a population of 324,005 living in 118,217 of its 124,988 total private dwellings, a change of 9.5% from its 2016 population of 295,934 . With a land area of 13,319.34 km (5,142.63 sq mi), it had
234-757: The CPR overhead were built after the Mission Bridge. The trumpet interchange leading to Horne Avenue was constructed before the CPR overhead, which was completed around 1984. The interchange with London Avenue was completed in November 1998. In 2013, the project of Highway 11 widening at the south end of the Sumas Border to Vye Road was announced. Construction began in June 2021 which was completed in December 2023. It includes an extension of
260-543: The Fraser River over the Mission Bridge into Mission, where it terminates at its junction with Highway 7 . Highway 11 has been realigned several times since it was first designated in 1958. Until the Mission Bridge was completed in 1973, traffic crossing the Fraser River used a nearby railway bridge. Traffic continued to use Riverside Street until a new alignment and railway overhead was completed in 1979 or 1980. Once
286-595: The Nexus lane to reduce travel times and improve safety. For south to north. The entire route is in the Fraser Valley Regional District . Fraser Valley Regional District The Fraser Valley Regional District ( FVRD ) is a regional district in British Columbia , Canada. Its headquarters are in the city of Chilliwack . The FVRD covers an area of 13,361.74 km (5,159 sq mi). It
SECTION 10
#1732852040549312-466: The Trans-Canada Trail dyke at the Fraser River. Once over the bridge, the highway ran along Harbour Avenue and subsequently northwards along Horne Avenue towards the split Lougheed Highway. In Abbotsford, both Gladys Avenue and Railway Avenue were both a part of the highway until the present expressway bypass was opened around late 1986 or early 1987. The two interchanges on the north side and
338-617: The electoral areas directly elect one director each. Economically, the area has grown around resource extraction, specifically farming, logging and gravel mining. Much of the Fraser Valley's land base is within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). The balance, not privately owned is in Crown Lands . Retirement and recreational services (like campgrounds, RV parks, boating, skiing etc.) have become increasingly important. However, most commercial and industrial activities are kept within
364-625: The four-lane Sumas Way in the mid-1980s. Highway 11 originally entered Mission over the same bridge that carries a spur of the Canadian Pacific Railway across the Fraser River , but it was re-routed onto its own bridge, the Mission Bridge , in 1973. In the south, Highway 11 begins at the Huntingdon Canada–US border crossing, where it connects with Washington State Route 9 . The highway goes north for 3.4 km (2.1 mi) to its junction with Highway 1 . North of Highway 1,
390-552: The highway crossed the Fraser, the highway turned towards Horne Street, along the present day Horne Street Connector. The current alignment opened in 1984 when a $ 6.7 million (equivalent to $ 16.42 million in 2022) route and overpass across the Canadian Pacific tracks opened. North from Abbotsford, the highway met Harris Road at a T-intersection and turned westwards, before turning north again at Riverside Street, continuing until it met
416-707: The member municipalities provide for their own municipal services, the FVRD acts as the local government for the electoral areas. As a local government or regional district, it can provide services such as water piping, storm sewers, sanitary sewers, street lighting, waste management, fire protection, mosquito control, enhanced 911 service, emergency preparedness/recovery, cablevision, air quality monitoring, library funding, growth management, park maintenance, building inspections and bylaw enforcement, planning, and development approvals. Each area does not necessarily receive all these services so each electoral area pays property taxes, through
442-590: The morning, with return trips in the afternoon and early evening. British Columbia Highway 11 Highway 11 , known locally as the Abbotsford – Mission Highway , is a 17 km (11 mi) long at-grade expressway (With the southernmost part of the highway two lanes) that figuratively cuts the Fraser Valley in half. The highway was first given the '11' designation in 1958, and it originally followed South Fraser Way through Abbotsford, being re-routed onto
468-432: The municipal boundaries and leaving the electoral areas for farming and rural residential uses. The areas in a regional district that are not incorporated are called ‘electoral areas’. Boston Bar and North Bend , with populations nearing 200 people each, are the two main small towns in this area. Other residents of this area live in small subdivisions (i.e. Canyon Alpine and Falls Creek ) or Indian reserves which line
494-548: The north and west, the Metro Vancouver Regional District to the west, Electoral Area G and the cities of Mission and Maple Ridge to the South, and Electoral Area C to the east. The Area F population of approximately 1,300 people lives exclusively in the southern, lowland portion of Area F, specifically that between Hatzic Lake and the southeast end of Stave Lake, as everything in this electoral area north of Stave Lake
520-535: The population live in the small area between the mountains and the river, which is generally divided into three areas: Slesse Park , Baker Trails and Bell Acres . Other residents of this area live on the north end of Cultus Lake , or in the Columbia Valley , south of Cultus Lake, bordering Washington state. Area F lies between the boundaries of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District to
546-611: The primary activities. Approximately one-quarter of the residents live on Hatzic Island with much of the Electoral Area's remaining population residing in more rural locations and on Leq’a:mel First Nation Reserve lands. The Sasquatch Lions Club (member club of Lions Clubs International) is the predominant service organization found in Area "G" and the Deroche and District Community Association has been active since 1908. This new Electoral Area H
SECTION 20
#1732852040549572-489: The provincial government, in accordance with the particular services they receive. The FVRD has opted to implement a regional growth strategy, as allowed by Section 25 of the BC Local Government Act. The regional district is a federation of municipalities and electoral areas. Each municipality appoints councillors to the board of directors for the regional district in proportion to their relative population sizes and
598-469: The resort town of Hemlock Valley , with only 15 permanent residents (but several hundred hotel guests and condo residents during the ski season). There are vacation homes on islands in Harrison Lake . The population of this area lives in the unincorporated villages of Popkum and Bridal Falls . Combined they have a population of 972 people. The Chilliwack River runs east-west through this area. Most of
624-399: The route travels 3.7 km (2.3 mi) north, passing through two interchanges, before arriving at an intersection with Gladys Road. Highway 11 is facing west at this point, so it turns right onto its own dedicated route. Highway 11 from this point proceeds north for 10 km (6 mi). It passes through the community of Matsqui and an interchange into Matsqui's centre, then crosses
650-693: The south (formerly Electoral Area "H".) Area "G" borders the District of Mission to the west, Electoral Areas "F" and "C" to the North and East and the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia to the south. It includes the communities of Hatzic Island , Dewdney , Nicomen Island , and Deroche . FVRD local services provided to Area "G" include the Dewdney and Deroche Community Water Systems, North Fraser Fire Protection, North Side Street Lighting and North Side Garbage. Farming (dairy, nursery and blue berries) and resource extraction (forestry and aggregate) along with recreation are
676-720: Was created in 1995 by an amalgamation of the Fraser-Cheam Regional District and Central Fraser Valley Regional District and the portion of the Dewdney-Alouette Regional District from and including the District of Mission eastwards. The FVRD is the third most populous Regional District in British Columbia, incorporating roughly the eastern half of the Lower Mainland of southwestern BC, and
#548451