A fix for traffic problems at or near rail crossings in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam is closer to fruition after an agency promoting trade in the region sent the federal government requests for funding for feasibility studies for three overpasses.
As reported in August by The Tri-City News, the Gateway Collaborative Forum is moving ahead with proposals to remove bottlenecks impeding growth in trade, and overpasses at Pitt River Road and Colony Farm Road as well as grade separation at Westwood Street and Kingsway have risen to the top of the list.
Anyone who has travelled through PoCo has experienced the hassle of being stopped by a train at Westwood Street and Kingsway Avenue while the stretch of Lougheed Highway from Colony Farm past Pitt River Road is narrow and dangerous.
Fixing these bottlenecks would improve safety, reduce pollution, provide improved access to Riverview redevelopment, the Forensic Psychiatric Institute at Colony Farm and Kwikwetlem First Nations reserve land, while also doubling the track to ship more goods through the port.
Peter Xotta, vice-president, planning and operations for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, said in all, there is $850 million worth of projects under the Greater Vancouver Gateway 2030 Program that need to be done across the region, with nine currently being proposed in communities stretching from Abbotsford to Richmond.
The hope is that the federal government will provide $277 million as part of its National Trade Corridor Fund, a $2-billion program to enhance Canada’s trade infrastructure. Xotta said he’s hoping to hear back in the new year that projects in this first phase of funding are successful.
Port users and CP Rail would also contribute to the projects, he said.
Locally, the forum is asking for $3 million to pay for engineering work, preliminary design and more community consultation for the three Tri-City projects.
And even if the funds aren’t forthcoming, Xotta said community engagement would continue on the projects.
“Ultimately, the federal government wants to fund projects where they see agreement that it’s beneficial,” Xotta said.
So far, the Kwikwetlem First Nation has offered its support for the project while, earlier this summer, Metro Vancouver asked for more information because of concerns about potential impacts on the Sheep Paddocks Trail, a 1.6-km multi-use trail that will connect Pitt River Road to the internal park trails at Colony Farm Regional Park.
The Gateway Transportation Collaboration Forum is made up of federal and provincial ministries of transportation as well as TransLink, Port Metro Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Gateway Council.
More information about the plan is available here.
