Stories from Tri-City News headlines of decades past is a recurring feature as we approach our 40th anniversary in 2024.
Commuters fighting traffic along the Mary Hill Bypass likely don't appreciate how good they have it.
Thirty years ago, the underpass beneath the CP Rail tracks in Port Coquitlam was only two lanes wide.
And doubling it to four lanes wasn't going to be cheap. Or easy.
The $20-million price tag to double the lane capacity of the underpass that was already funnelling more than 1,700 vehicles a day between PoCo and Pitt Meadows included millions to relocate a major 12-inch natural gas line and high-pressure water main, as well as electricity transmission lines and smaller water and sewer pipes.
Further complicating the project was a requirement to move the gas line between May and September, when there's not as much demand for the fuel.
As well, said Wilfred Fry, B.C.'s ministry of transportation and highways project manager at the time, service on the CP Rail tracks crossing the busy thoroughfare couldn't be interrupted.
"We have to keep the CPR running at all times," Fry said.
That meant the existing two-lane underpass wasn't being simply made wider.
Instead, a new four-lane underpass would be constructed a little further west, over which a new set of permanent tracks would be laid when completed.
Then, the old underpass would be demolished. The new structure would be supported by about 111 concrete and steel pilings.
The project was expected to be completed by 1996.
In 2009, construction of a new, wider, Pitt River Bridge and Mary Hill interchange was completed, further smoothing the commute for drivers between the Tri-Cities and communities east of the Pitt River.
The Tri-City News has covered civic affairs, local crime, festivals, events, personalities, sports and arts in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody since 1983. Bound back issues of the paper are available at the Coquitlam Archives while digital versions of several past years can be found at issuu.com.
