Major road network projects for PoCo, Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows
Posted May 17, 2018 12:26 pm.
Last Updated May 17, 2018 2:55 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Four major road network projects have been announced in the northeast corner of Metro Vancouver, with the aim to separate trains from street traffic.
The feds say $55 million will be spent as part of the Investing in Canada Plan.
The projects include upgrading Westwood Street at Kingsway Avenue in Port Coquitlam to separate rail tracks from the intersection, and new rail overpasses on Kennedy and Harris Roads in Pitt Meadows.
Port Coquitlam Acting Mayor Brad West says it’s been a long time coming for improvements.
“I think this is great news for Port Coquitlam,” he tells NEWS 1130. “Anyone who’s lived in our community has had the experience of being stuck behind trains at the Kingsway and Westwood crossing… So that’s been a longstanding issue in our community and a real longstanding inconvenience.”
He says the announcement to get the ball rolling on fixing the issue is welcomed news.
“I’ve lived in Port Coquitlam all my life, and I can tell you I’ve lost count at the number of times that I’ve been stuck behind a train in our community. And anyone who’s lived in PoCo will tell you exactly the same thing. It’s frustrating, it’s inconvenient, and to be able to move forward with a solution that’s going to take us to a place where that’s no longer the case is going to make a huge difference in the lives of many of our residents.”
Design work is also starting for new overpasses on Lougheed Highway in Coquitlam at Colony Farm and Pitt River Roads, where the rail line runs adjacent.
It’s not yet clear if those intersections will be upgrade to interchanges, or just pass over Lougheed.
“We’ve seen, unfortunately, a number of tragedies in that stretch of Lougheed Highway, and so anything that can be done to improve the safety in that corridor is an absolute added bonus to this announcement,” West says. “All around, very good news, and addressing the safety issues that exist there is going to be paramount as well.”
There’s no definitive timeline for the projects.
The federal government says the projects will mean the creation of 550 construction jobs.
