Commuters heading to and from Northeast Coquitlam over the next few months should add in a bit more driving time.
Large, heavy machines are already at the David Avenue and Pipeline Road intersection in the City Centre neighbourhood to get the underground utilities ready and the piles installed in anticipation of the new Coquitlam Water Main tunnelling, sometime early in 2025.
Alan Chiang, Metro Vancouver’s senior project manager for the Coquitlam Water Supply Project Delivery, told the Tri-City News on Nov. 20 that commuters can expect lane closures around the construction site while the intersection tunnelling is underway.
The agency is asking drivers to use alternate routes to get to their destinations or have patience if using David Avenue.
“The intersection will be open, but it will be quite disruptive. We want drivers to follow directions and the signage […] We are adding an important piece of infrastructure to deliver drinking water to the region.”
Chiang said Metro officials have worked on a traffic management plan with the City of Coquitlam to minimize tie-ups.
Drilling down
Phase 1 of the Coquitlam Water Main project spans from Robson Drive to Guildford Way along Pipeline Road.
Work from David to Guildford — on the eastern side of Town Centre Park — started last summer and is “on time and on budget,” Chiang said, with the full Phase 1 completion in the fall of 2026.
After the David–Guildford work is done next spring, the City of Coquitlam will also update Pipeline Road by:
- widening the road between Guildford and David
- to accommodate four lanes of traffic, with dedicated left-turn lanes
- adding active transportation facilities along the western side of the road
- installing road safety improvements
- including new lighting and new landscaped centre medians
- replanting trees along the project area and Town Centre Park
Chiang was unable to comment on the fate of the city’s Inspiration Garden, which is located at the corner of Guildford and Pipeline.
What’s next
Once Phase 1 is finished, Metro Vancouver will start on the next stages to get the 12-km pipe in the ground by 2030:
- Pipeline Road North Section: 2026–2030
- City Centre Tunnel Section: 2026–2031
- Cape Horn Section: 2024–2030
For more details about the water pipe project, call the Metro Vancouver community liaison at 604-432-6200 or email [email protected] (include “Coquitlam Water Main - Robson to Guildford Section” in the subject line). Alternatively, visit the Metro Vancouver website and sign up for a newsletter for project updates.
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