Port Moody’s new boardwalk across the east end of Burrard Inlet is beginning to take shape at Pigeon Cove, near Murray Street.
Construction crews are installing new pilings along the footprint of the former boardwalk, as well as the wider, more accessible wooden deck.
The project’s first phase, from Murray Street to Suter Brook Creek, is expected to be open sometime this summer.
The rest of the boardwalk to Noons Creek will be constructed when funding becomes available. It will include a new viewing platform at the fifth of five First Nations welcome posts carved by artists from the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, Katzie and Squamish Nations that comprise Port Moody’s In the Presence of Ancestors project.
The $3-million boardwalk replacement was approved by Port Moody council in May 2023, after the original structure was damaged by king tides the previous December. It had to be closed until a temporary structure was erected late last summer.
In a report to council, senior project engineer Tim Aucott said even before the damaging king tides, the old boardwalk that had been installed more than 30 years ago was showing signs of age and it was frequently covered by water during high tides and storm surges.
The new boardwalk will be higher to account for rising sea levels due to climate change. The wider platform will also include handrails and the elimination of some stairs will improve accessibility.
Planning for the new structure included consultation with First Nations, the Port Moody Historical Society and several environmental groups like the Port Moody Ecological Society, Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society, Burke Mountain Naturalists and Trails BC.
