The first phase of the new boardwalk being constructed along Port Moody’s Shoreline Trail is $800,000 over its original budget.
But that hasn’t stopped the city from pressing forward with the project’s second phase.
On Thursday, July 25, the city announced council has approved spending $6.2 million to extend the structure from Suter Brook Creek to just past the bridge over Noons Creek.
The money will come from development contribution-related reserves and a grant from the B.C. government’s Growing Communities Fund.
“We are investing in the Shoreline Trail boardwalk so that this landmark structure and community asset is reliable and inclusive for all residents and visitors to enjoy safely for many years to come,” said Port Moody Mayor Meghan Lahti in a news release.
The original wooden boardwalk across the mud flats at the east end of Burrard Inlet, between Rocky Point and Old Orchard parks, was constructed by city crews more than 30 years ago.
A 2021 engineering report recommended the boardwalk’s replacement within the next few years, but that was hastened when it had to be closed for several months because of damage caused by a king tide event in December 2022.
Temporary structures allowed the trail to be reopened several months later and construction on the new boardwalk began late last year, following the same footprint as its predecessor to minimize its impact on environmentally sensitive areas.
But geotechnical pile testing conducted early on determined soil conditions were much softer than originally anticipated, necessitating the use of steel support piles twice as long as the original design.
That boosted the budget for the project’s first phase from $3.15 million to $3.95 million. It's expected to be completed by the end of this summer.
The new boardwalk is higher to keep it out of the water when tides run high and during storm surges. It’s also wider and eliminates steps to improve accessibility while railings have been incorporated to make it safer.
Construction of the 440-metre long second phase is expected to begin later this summer or in the early fall with completion by the spring or summer of 2025.
It will include a viewing platform with a separate budget of $810,000. That money is coming from the city’s public art reserve and community amenity contributions reserve funds.
The platform, near the junction of the gravel path and the access trail to Trasoline Field, will be built around one of five house posts being erected along the Shoreline Trail as part of Port Moody’s In the Presence of Ancestors project that tells the story of the area’s Coast Salish origins.
