Traffic snarls in Port Coquitlam's south-side industrial area will be coming to an end in the next few weeks as work on the Broadway Street reconstruction project moves toward completion.
Many drivers have been avoiding Broadway - between the Mary Hill Bypass and Kingsway Avenue, at the immediate south end of the Coast Meridian Overpass - since work began on the project, funnelling traffic onto nearby routes such as Pitt River Road and McLean Avenue.
But according to Igor Zahynacz, PoCo's director of engineering, traffic patterns will return to normal in the last week of March.
"We anticipate that the traffic that has been using the other roads will come back to Broadway," he said. "That will help the traffic pattern all over the city."
The Broadway Street reconstruction project was 75% complete as of Feb. 1, and Zahynacz said the project is on track to be completed by the end of March - although crews are expected to return in the summer in order to add the top layer to the road as doing the finishing stage when temperatures are more stable will help extend the life of the concrete.
The Broadway project is also significant because it is the first stretch of road in Port Coquitlam that will be illuminated by LED lights. While the LEDs are more expensive than the usual orange, high-pressure bulbs, Zahynacz said there is a 50 to 60% energy savings, which will save the city money in the long run.
The lights have been used in a pilot project downtown and the response from the public has been mostly positive, he said.
"Many people can't notice the different yet there is a substantial savings in energy costs," he said.
The Broadway Street reconstruction project started last year, taking advantage of stimulus money offered by the federal government.
The projected cost of the project is $11.4 million, with the province and the federal government each paying $3.8 million and TransLink covering $1.14 million.
Port Coquitlam is expected to pay $3.5 million for its portion of the shared costs.
When construction is complete the five-lane Broadway will connect with the Coast Meridian Overpass and help link the north and south sides of the city.
