The battle to build Port Coquitlam's Fremont connector is heating up, with the city of PoCo asking Coquitlam to pony up.
This summer, Coquitlam requested PoCo pay for half of the costs for a $30,000 study to look at options to link the north end of the connector and push it across the border to Victoria Drive on Coquitlam's Burke Mountain.
In a letter dated Aug. 28, PoCo agreed to the cost division — but with a caveat.
PoCo offered to fork over $15,000 as long as Coquitlam pays for half of its Fremont studies to date, for plans from Dominion to Lincoln avenues.
PoCo Coun. Brad West, chair of the city's transportation solutions committee, said that would equal about about $25,000 (half of the $50,000 PoCo has incurred so far).
"If Coquitlam believes it's fair to share in costs for a joint road, then they should share in our costs, too," West told The Tri-City News Thursday.
He also said many PoCo residents believe the city should seek compensation from Coquitlam for construction.
This spring, PoCo council approved the alignment for its side of the Fremont connector. It selected Burns Road and Prairie Avenue but dead-ended it at Devon/Lincoln, at the Coquitlam border.
The road, once built, is expected to be a major thoroughfare for commuters in the new neighbourhoods on Burke Mountain.
Other PoCo news:
DRIVE-THROUGH
The left-turn point for a busy north Port Coquitlam strip mall may be changed — or taken out — to accommodate a Starbucks drive-through.
This week, PoCo city council deferred a rezoning bid to have city staff look at whether the left-turn access in the southbound lane on Coast Meridian Road could be altered.
The rezoning plan was shelved before the summer break as council voiced concerns about the pinch point. Some councillors said a Starbucks drive-through would jam up the intersection at Prairie Avenue.
Mayor Greg Moore told The Tri-City News council wants "to consider all options" to alleviate potential backups, should the application go ahead.
A staff report is expected to come before city council on Sept. 28.
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