m -m t n p s - bc trucking association tribes ≈ halalt first nation ≈ katzie first nation ≈...

SEPTEMBER 2016

Submitted By:

FRASER RIVER TRADE AREA MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION

NETWORK PLANNING STUDY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

DRAFT

PARSONS

FRTA MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION NETWORK PLANNING STUDY FINAL REPORT

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY With anticipated growth in trade between Canada and the Asia Pacific region, additional demands will be placed on the existing supply chains serving Canada’s Pacific Gateway in British Columbia. The key transportation agencies in the Greater Vancouver area recognize the pending issues facing the transportation network that serves the Port of Vancouver and the related Gateway activity centres in the region, and in association with the recently established Gateway Transportation Collaboration Forum (GTCF), commissioned focussed studies to fully understand the issues affecting goods movement and to pursue solutions to mitigate them. This report summarizes the efforts undertaken for the study of the Fraser River Trade Area, one of four trade areas located in the Greater Vancouver area. Study Objectives The FRTA Multi-Modal Transportation Network Planning Study is a comprehensive review of the transportation network within a large geographical area that includes marine terminals, railway intermodal yards, and industrial activity centres along the north and south shores of the Fraser River between Richmond and Mission / Abbotsford. The goals of the FRTA Study are to assess current and anticipated future road and rail network conditions and issues resulting from increased demand for international trade, and identify potential mitigation measures to address these issues in a manner that:

≈ Contributes to a safe, efficient, integrated, and sustainable multi-modal transportation trade network that supports growth and success of Canada’s Pacific Gateway;

≈ Enhances quality of life for people living in the region;

≈ Accommodates increased trade volume and improves the movement of freight and people throughout the FRTA; and

≈ Are integrated and improve the area-wide transportation network.

The boundaries of the Fraser River Trade Area are shown in Figure E.1. To provide for a focused analysis of the trade area at the appropriate level of detail, the trade area was segmented into three geographic areas at the onset. The segmentation, described

below, was based on common transportation themes, issues, and jurisdictional considerations found within the overall trade area boundaries:

≈ West Segment: The West Segment encompasses the City of Richmond, the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Sea Island infrastructure, and north / east portions of the Corporation of Delta adjacent to the south bank of the Fraser River. The approximate boundaries include the Fraser River North Arm to the north, Georgia Straight to the west, City of Richmond / Highway 91 boundary to the east, and Highway 17 / Highway 99 to the south. Key logistics hubs in the West Segment include the Vancouver International Airport (YVR), the Fraser Richmond Industrial Lands (which includes the Fraser Surrey Port Lands), as well as the Tilbury and Sunbury industrial areas in Delta.

≈ Central Segment: The Central Segment features a complex multi-jurisdictional area within the heart of the Metro Vancouver region. The approximate boundaries included the City of Richmond / Highway 91 boundary to the west, the Surrey / Delta border and Highway 17 to the south, Tenth Avenue in New Westminster to the north, and the Highway 1 Cape Horn interchange to the east. Key logistics hubs in the Central Segment include the South Westminster / Bridgeview Industrial Area (which includes the Fraser Surrey Port Lands), Annacis Island industrial lands and industrial clusters in south Coquitlam.

≈ East Segment: The East Segment covers the balance of the trade area from approximately the Highway 1 / Cape Horn interchange junction through the Northeast Sector and on to the Fraser Valley. On the north side of the Fraser River, the segment encompasses the urban areas of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and Mission. On the south side of the Fraser River, the extreme north portions of Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford are included in the segment. The approximate boundaries included the Highway 1 / Cape Horn interchange to the west, the north side of the Highway 7 corridor to the north, the Mission Rail Bridge to the east, and the Highway 1 / Roberts Bank transportation corridors to the south. Key logistics hubs included the Mary Hill Bypass industrial area, the CN and CP Intermodal Yards, as well as the Port Kells industrial area in Surrey.


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Subsequent discussions regarding various road and / or rail network issues, mitigation options, and evaluation processes will all be related back to the three geographic segments described above.

Study Process The FRTA Study included technical transportation analysis, combined with input from key Fraser River Trade Area stakeholders and First Nations, to generate and evaluate transportation network improvement options for recommendation as part of a Gateway-related infrastructure investment program. The FRTA Study process, which closely followed the study objectives, is graphically illustrated in Figure E.2.

Stakeholder Engagement Stakeholder engagement was conducted to identify or validate current and anticipated future issues, as well as opportunities, constraints or other concerns to address these issues. Meetings were held with a wide range of stakeholders, including municipalities, regional agencies, industry associations, industry operators and railway companies, as listed below:

≈ Municipalities − Corporation of Delta; − City of Richmond; − City of Burnaby; − City of New

Westminster; − City of Surrey; − City of Coquitlam; − City of Port

Coquitlam; − City of Pitt Meadows; − City of Maple Ridge; − District of Mission; − City of Abbotsford; − Township of Langley.

≈ Regional Agencies − Metro Vancouver; − Ministry of

Transportation and Infrastructure (South Coast Region);

− TransLink.

≈ Industry Associations − BC Trucking

Association; − Greater Vancouver

Gateway Council; − Western Canadian

Shippers Coalition; − BC Chamber of

Shipping; − Council of Marine

Carriers; − Fraser River

Industrial Association. ≈ Industry Operators

− YVR; − Canaan Group; − Seaspan; − Coast 2000.

≈ Railways* − CP Rail; − CN Rail; − SRY; − BNSF.

* Passenger railways (Rocky Mountaineer, West Coast Express, VIA Rail and Amtrak) were also notified, but declined to participate.

Figure E.2: FRTA Study Process

Figure E.1: Fraser River Trade Area – Study Area

The Fraser River Trade Area runs along both sides of the Fraser River from the Georgia Strait to the Mission / Langley area. On the north side of the river, the FRTA includes parts of the municipalities of Richmond, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and Mission; on the south side of the river, Delta, Surrey, Langley, and Abbotsford. These twelve municipalities represented key stakeholders within the FRTA. The FRTA also intersects the asserted and established traditional territories and treaty lands of a number of Aboriginal groups. For the FRTA Study, Aboriginal engagement was undertaken as a separate, yet parallel process to stakeholder engagement.


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Several rounds of stakeholder engagement were undertaken, generally following the process shown in Figure E.3.

Figure E.3: Stakeholder Engagement Process

The first two rounds of stakeholder engagement were undertaken with all five categories of stakeholders while the third round of stakeholder engagement was generally focused towards municipal government participants, as a specific result of several municipalities requesting additional follow-up. The feedback received from the stakeholder engagement process assisted in identifying key issues, establishing the option evaluation criteria (Multiple Account Evaluation process), refining candidate options, and confirming the recommended options. The feedback from each round of engagement (Round 1, Round 2, and Round 3) has been incorporated into the FRTA Study and is documented within the business case inputs for further consideration if any recommended options are advanced for further development and potential implementation. Subsequent to the first round of stakeholder engagement, it was acknowledged that the portion of the Central Segment on the north side of the Fraser River (encompassing the City of New Westminster, as well as a small portion of Coquitlam along United Boulevard) was an exceptionally challenging area to address, due to the high concentration of goods movement issues within a very small and highly urbanized area. Therefore, a separate stakeholder engagement workshop process was initiated between the FRTA Study team and the City of New Westminster, which would run parallel to the main FRTA Study. Aboriginal Engagement In addition to engaging the various stakeholders, a complementary engagement process was also undertaken with several First Nations in the Lower Mainland, the Fraser Valley, and on Vancouver Island.

The following Aboriginal groups were notified of the FRTA Study and provided with an opportunity to participate in the engagement program:

≈ Cowichan Tribes

≈ Halalt First Nation

≈ Katzie First Nation

≈ Kwantlen First Nation

≈ Kwikwetlem First Nation

≈ Lake Cowichan First Nation

≈ Leqa:mel First Nation*

≈ Lyackson First Nation

≈ Matsqui First Nation

≈ Musqueam First Nation

≈ Penelakut Tribe

≈ Peters Band

≈ Popkum First Nation

≈ Seabird Island First Nation

≈ Semiahmoo First Nation

≈ Shxwowhamel First Nation*

≈ Skawahlook First Nation*

≈ SnawNawAs Nation

≈ Soowahlie First Nation*

≈ Squamish Nation

≈ Sto:lo Nation*

≈ Sto:lo Tribal Council*

≈ Stz’uminus First Nation

≈ Sumas First Nation

≈ Tsawwassen First Nation

≈ Tsleil-Waututh Nation * Members of the S’ólh Téméxw Stewardship Alliance / represented by People of the River Referrals Office.

Two rounds of engagement were undertaken with the various First Nations; with the first round occurring around the same time as the first round of stakeholder engagement, and the second round of Aboriginal engagement occurring between the second and third rounds of stakeholder engagement. Similar to the stakeholder engagement process, the feedback received from the Aboriginal engagement process assisted in identifying key issues, establishing the Multiple Account Evaluation criteria, refining candidate options, and confirming the recommended options.


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Issues Identification In addition to the stakeholder and First Nations engagement, high-level technical assessments of the road and rail transportation network within the trade area were undertaken to identify existing and anticipated future issues that may affect the efficiency and safety of goods movement related to international trade. Analysis of the railway network within the trade area was conducted to identify operational and / or capacity related issues associated with the existing infrastructure. Specifically, a review of the Port of Vancouver Regional Rail Network Model and Assessment summary document was conducted to understand the rail network performance under existing and future conditions. This high level rail network performance information was augmented with various site observations and discussions with representatives from the four railway operating lines within the trade area. Various railway capacity and / or operational issues have been identified within the existing rail network as well as any potential future issues that are related to the forecasted conditions. The technical assessment of the existing road transportation network within the Fraser River Trade Area was undertaken to identify existing and anticipated future issues affecting the efficiency and safety of the road network in terms of its ability to facilitate road-based movement of goods related to international trade. The road network analysis for the FRTA Study focused on provincial highways, Major Road Network links and municipal truck routes within the FRTA boundaries. This assessment included a review of the existing multi-modal facilities and services, technical analysis of existing traffic data to highlight multi-modal travel and freight characteristics, as well as stakeholder and First Nations engagement findings to identify and / or confirm issues that might not be evident from the data analysis. The current and anticipated future issues on both the rail and road networks were consolidated in order to develop an Initial Issues List, featuring a total of 77 issues. Figure E.4 through Figure E.6 graphically depict the issue locations for all issues in the West, Central and East segments, respectively.

However, not all identified issues are necessarily significant in terms of their impact on international trade. Therefore, to screen out transportation network issues that might not directly impact Gateway-related transportation activities, a set of high-level screening criteria were developed:

1. A capacity issue along a major rail segment serving a Gateway related facility.

2. A road conflict issue affecting rail operations along a major rail segment serving a Gateway related facility.

3. An issue located on a road network element that provides critical access to a major marine port facility, multi-modal facility, or industrial cluster.

4. Issue located on a road network element that provides mobility to high volumes of truck traffic that is related to international trade.

All identified issues that did not fall into at least one of these four categories was deemed to be not “Gateway-significant”, and were not considered further as part of the FRTA study. As a result of the issues screening process, the Initial Issues List of 77 issues was reduced to a Screened Issues List of 48 issues. The retained issues are identified in the following exhibits as well in Screening Results, Table E.1 through Table E.3.


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Figure E.4: West Segment – Initial and Retained Issues

Table E.1: Initial Issues List - West Segment (Screening Results) ID Mode Location Issue Type Gateway Significance? W1 Rail CN Rail Lines – Richmond Capacity Yes W2 Road Burnaby Big Bend Area Road & Rail Conflicts Yes W3 Road George Massey Tunnel Capacity Yes W4 Road Moray Channel Bridge Capacity / Reliability Yes W5 Road Highway 99 between Oak Street Bridge and Westminster Highway Capacity Yes W6 Road Highway 99 between Westminster Highway and Steveston Highway Capacity Yes W7 Road Hwy 91 between Knight Street and Alex Fraser Bridge Capacity Yes W8 Road Knight Street Bridge Capacity Yes W9 Road Marine Way west of Queensborough Bridge Capacity Yes W10 Road Highway 17A south of Highway 99 Capacity No W11 Road Sea Island Way Capacity Yes W12 Road Highway 17 between Highway 99 and Highway 91 Operations / Connectivity Yes W13 Road Alderbridge Way between Shell Road and No. 4 Road Road & Rail Conflicts / Capacity No W14 Road Steveston Highway at No. 5 Road Capacity / Safety Yes W15 Road Sunbury / Tilbury Industrial Areas Operations Yes W16 Road 96 St. between River Rd. and the signalized intersection with Hwy. 17 and the Hwy. 91 Connector Road & Rail Conflicts No W17 Road Arthur Laing Bridge Capacity No W18 Road Bridgeport Road Road & Rail Conflicts No W19 Road Cambie Street between Highway 99 and Knight Street Road & Rail Conflicts No W20 Road Nordel Way between River Road and Highway 91 Connector Road & Rail Conflicts No W21 Road Oak Street Bridge Capacity No W22 Road River Road in the Tilbury area Road & Rail Conflicts No W23 Road Westminster Highway between McMillan Way and Knight Street Road & Rail Conflicts Yes W24 Road Westminster Highway between Shell Road and No. 4 Road Road & Rail Conflicts / Capacity No W25 Rail / Road Fraser Richmond Port Lands Road & Rail Conflicts / Connectivity Yes


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Figure E.5: Central Segment – Initial and Retained Issues

Table E.2: Initial Issues List - Central Segment (Screening Results) ID Mode Location Issue Type Gateway Significance? C1 Rail BNSF / Northwest No. 2 Westminster Subdivision crossings in New Westminster Road & Rail Conflicts / Capacity / Operations Yes C2 Rail CP Rail Westminster Subdivision / SRY Fraser Valley Subdivision / CN Rail Line Road & Rail Conflicts / Capacity / Operations Yes C3 Rail / Road BNSF / Northwest No. 2 Westminster Subdivision crossing at Elevator Road Road & Rail Conflicts / Operations Yes C4 Rail / Road Braid Street between E Columbia Street and United Boulevard Road & Rail Conflicts / Capacity Yes C5 Rail / Road SRY Fraser Surrey Spur Road & Rail Conflicts / Operations Yes C6 Road 10 Avenue between McBride Boulevard and Kingsway Capacity Yes C7 Road 120 Street south of King George Boulevard Road & Rail Conflicts Yes C8 Road Alex Fraser Bridge Capacity / Safety Yes C9 Road Brunette Avenue between Highway 1 and E Columbia Street Capacity Yes C10 Road E Columbia Street between Brunette Avenue and Front Street Capacity Yes C11 Road Front Street between Columbia Street E and Columbia Street W Road & Rail Conflicts / Operations / Connectivity Yes C12 Road Highway 1 Capacity / Connectivity Yes C13 Road Highway 91 and Highway 1 Connection Capacity / Connectivity Yes C14 Road King George Boulevard east of Bridgeview Drive Capacity Yes C15 Road McBride Boulevard between 10 Avenue and Pattullo Bridge Capacity Yes C16 Road Pattullo Bridge Capacity / Safety Yes C17 Road Queensborough Bridge Capacity Yes C18 Road Royal Avenue Capacity Yes C19 Road Highway 17 between Alex Fraser Bridge and Pattullo Bridge Road & Rail Conflicts / Operations / Connectivity Yes C20 Road Highway 17 between Pattullo Bridge and Port Mann Bridge Capacity Yes C21 Road Lougheed Highway between Schoolhouse Street and North Road Capacity No C22 Road Stewardson Way between Columbia Street and Queensborough Bridge Capacity Yes C23 Road River Road near Centre Street Road & Rail Conflicts No C24 Road Highway 91A between Alex Fraser Bridge and Queensborough Bridge Capacity Yes C25 Road 8 Avenue east of McBride Capacity Yes


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Figure E.6: East Segment – Initial and Retained Issues

Table E.3: Initial Issues List - East Segment (Screening Results) ID Mode Location Issue Type Gateway Significance? E1 Rail CN Rail Yale Subdivision at Matsqui Junction Capacity Yes E2 Rail CN Rail Yale Subdivision in Glen Valley Capacity Yes E3 Rail CP Rail Westminster Subdivision Capacity / Operations Yes E4 Rail / Road CP Rail Cascade Subdivision Road Rail Conflicts / Capacity Yes E5 Rail / Road Pitt River Road east of Lougheed Highway Road & Rail Conflicts Yes E6 Road Haney Bypass Capacity / Safety No E7 Road Lougheed Highway between Haney Bypass and Stave Lake Street Safety No E8 Road Lougheed Highway between Barnet Highway & Pitt River Bridge Capacity No E9 Road Lougheed Highway between Pitt River Bridge & Golden Ears Bridge Capacity / Operations / Safety Yes E10 Road Lougheed Highway between United Boulevard & Barnet Highway Capacity No E11 Road Mary Hill Bypass Capacity Yes E12 Road Port Mann Bridge Safety No E13 Rail / Road Kingsway Avenue between Shaughnessy Street and Westwood Street Road & Rail Conflicts / Capacity Yes E14 Rail / Road Westwood Street between Lougheed Highway and Como Lake Avenue Road & Rail Conflicts Yes E15 Road Coast Meridian Road between Prairie Avenue and Kingsway Avenue Capacity No E16 Road 203 Street between Lougheed Highway and Golden Ears Bridge Road & Rail Conflicts No E17 Road 96 Avenue between Glover Road and 216 Street Road & Rail Conflicts / Safety No E18 Road Ford Road in Pitt Meadows Capacity No E19 Road London Avenue east of Commercial Street in Mission Road & Rail Conflicts No E20 Road Maple Meadows Way between Dunn Avenue and Hammond Road underneath Golden Ears Overpass Road & Rail Conflicts No E21 Road Lougheed Highway between Golden Ears Way and Haney Bypass Capacity No E22 Road Mission Bridge Capacity No E23 Road Kennedy Road west of Lougheed Highway Road & Rail Conflicts Yes E24 Road Glover Road north of 96 Avenue Road & Rail Conflicts No E25 Road Mariner Way at Barnet Highway Capacity No E26 Road Tamarack Lane west of Lougheed Highway Road & Rail Conflicts No E27 Road 240 Street south of Lougheed Highway Road & Rail Conflicts No


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Option Development Mitigation options were generated to address all issues identified as being Gateway significant. In total, 52 option candidates were generated, which collectively addressed the 48 issues included in the Screened Issues List. The options generated were identified from a variety of sources, including:

≈ Established projects or studies actively moving towards further planning or implementation.

≈ Recent transportation planning studies that previously identified the same issue as currently identified in the FRTA Study along with a proposed mitigation measure / option.

≈ Stakeholder inputs and recommendations.

≈ A series of internal “options generation” workshops which were conducted with the FRTA Study Team to review the applicability of any options identified by one of the three approaches listed above, as well as to develop new or additional options where none was previously proposed, or additional options where possible.

In some cases, multiple options were developed to address an identified issue whereby one or more improvement options might be located in the vicinity of the issue and another option may be located in another area to divert traffic to a new or existing adjacent route. Prior to moving forward to the comprehensive option evaluation phase, all mitigation options generated as described above underwent a further screening process, which was distinct from the issue screening process described previously. Where the issue screening process assessed whether an issue was “Gateway significant”, the purpose of the mitigation option screening process was to review the options generated and to screen these options in terms of the reasonableness of being implemented. The option screening criteria includes:

≈ Gateway Significance (in effect, ensuring that the option actually addresses the issue at hand).

≈ Funding Potential, including: − Whether the option would be eligible for federal funding; − Whether the option would have potential for funding from

other key stakeholders.

≈ Project Impacts are free of “show stoppers” in terms of: − Property requirements; − Environmental impacts; − Geotechnical challenges; − Agricultural Land Reserve impacts; or − Major Utilities Conflicts.

≈ Deliverability, in terms of: − Whether an option could be deliverable within the next

five to ten years; and − Whether the option has a “champion” that could move it

forward to implementation. As a result of the option screening process, 37 mitigation options were retained for further consideration, four options were noted as being part of an independent project that is already addressing a corresponding Gateway-significant issue, and 13 options were removed from further evaluation as part of the FRTA study. During subsequent options development work, several options in Richmond and Surrey were identified as requiring further review beyond the scope of the FRTA study, and were not evaluated further. Community Impact Assessment The issues screening and option development analysis summarized above focused primarily on issues that could act as a constraint to the ability to accommodate increasing demand for international trade and the movement of goods on the trade area’s road and / or rail networks. However, the forecasted increase in goods movement along the road and rail networks may also impact the adjacent communities in the form of additional noise or access disruptions. Impacts related to the anticipated increase in train volumes through the adjacent communities was raised as a major source of concern from several municipalities during the stakeholder engagement process. Two main issues associated with increased train volumes were identified:

≈ Community Severance: Trains passing through at-grade road / rail crossings and blocking the use of public roads for all


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road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists, transit service, private automobiles and trucks. Increased volumes of goods transported by rail will result in increased numbers of trains and / or increased lengths of trains passing through a crossing, which will exacerbate these issues relative to the current situation. In some cases, long trains may simultaneously block all accesses in and out of a given area. This is an inconvenience for local residents and businesses, and also poses some concern related to emergency service access to the neighbourhood when a train is passing through an area and simultaneously blocking one or more at-grade crossings.

≈ Noise Impacts: Disturbance caused by train whistling. By regulation, Transport Canada’s Canadian Rail Operating Rules #14, requires trains to sound a sequence of whistles at all at-grade public crossings. Train whistling improves crossing safety, but can also be a nuisance for adjacent residential communities, particularly if trains are travelling at night (trains must sound their whistle at all times of the day).

Neither of these issues are “Gateway Significant” in the sense that, if left unaddressed, they would directly impact the ability of the transportation network within the region to accommodate movement of an increased volume of goods efficiently. Rather, consideration of these potential community impact issues relates more to the degree to which organizations involved in international trade have a mandate to consider the impacts that their business operations will have on the communities through which they operate. A community impact screening assessment was developed, which was based on the following metrics:

≈ Community Severance, in terms of: − Traffic Impacts; and − Transit Service Impacts.

≈ Whistling Noise Impacts. The two community severance metrics were each given a 25% weighting, while whistling noise impacts were given the remaining 50%. These metrics were calculated based on a number of data sources, including the number of people in the area being “severed”, train volumes and crossing occupancy durations, travel times to detour to an existing grade separation, transit service headways and whistle noise isochrones.

All 127 public at-grade rail crossings within the Fraser River Trade Area were ranked, and the top 25 crossings were identified and subjected to a warrant analysis, which assessed whether:

≈ The location has already been identified as having a “Gateway-significant” issue that will be addressed as part of the Fraser River Trade Area Study;

≈ The crossing currently experiences a minimum of 10 trains per day;

≈ The crossing is anticipated to see a 25% or greater growth in train volumes; and

≈ The crossing already has whistle cessation in place, and if so, what proportion of the impact is due to train whistling noise versus community severance.

All of the top 25 crossing locations that passed the warrant analysis were then grouped into five assessment areas, based on their proximity to other crossings. ≈ Group 1 – Port Hammond, consisting of crossings at:

− Maple Meadows Way − Lorne Avenue − Ditton Street − 203 Street

≈ Group 2 – Albion, consisting of crossings at: − River Road / Tamarack Lane − River Road / 240 Street

≈ Group 3 – Fort Langley, consisting of crossings at: − 96 Avenue (West) − 96 Avenue (East) − Glover Road

≈ Group 4 – Walnut Grove, consisting of crossings at: − 208 Street − 216 Street − 201 Street

≈ Group 5 – Bridgeview, consisting of crossings at: − 130 Street


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Based on the underlying reason that each crossing was screened in (i.e. community severance versus whistle noise impacts), and in recognition of the need for whistle cessation to be applied uniformly to all crossings within a given area for the actual cessation of whistling to be effective, community impact mitigation measures were recommended. Whistle Cessation is suggested at the following locations:

≈ In Maple Ridge, where the CP Cascade Subdivision crosses: − Maple Meadows Way − 113b Avenue − Lorne Avenue − Ditton Street − River Road / Tamarack Lane − River Road / 240 Street

≈ In Surrey, where the CN Brownsville Line crosses: − 130 Street

In addition to whistle cessation considerations, a grade-separation is recommended at the 96 Avenue (East) crossing of the CN Yale Subdivision. A conceptual design was generated for this grade-separation, and was subjected to the same option evaluation process (described below) as the rest of the potential mitigation options generated through the issues identification and option development processes described previously.

Option Evaluation The evaluation of the various mitigation options was carried out using a Multiple Account Evaluation (MAE) technique. The MAE technique employed in the Fraser River Trade Area Study generally follows the format prescribed by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Business Case Guidelines Appendix 4: Option Evaluation Guidelines for MoTI Business Cases, including Multiple Account Evaluation. In keeping with accepted practise, the evaluation framework developed for the Fraser River Trade Area Study incorporates appropriate performance measures or indicators under the following five accounts:

≈ Financial;

≈ Customer Service;

≈ Socio-Community;

≈ Environmental; and

≈ Economic Development. Each of these five accounts featured numerous criteria that were applied to assess specific performance metrics. Based on the outcome of the evaluation, a total of fourteen options are recommended for further consideration by the GTCF. A summary sheet that describes the key details, is provided below for each recommended option.


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Option Location

North Fraser Way at Marine Way Dual Westbound Left Turn

Location: North Fraser Way at Marine Way Road Authority: City of Burnaby Rail Authority: CP Rail

Purpose Option Description

The intersection of Marine Way and North Fraser Way is often congested, particularly in the westbound direction in the AM Peak Hour. This congestion impacts the efficiency of truck-based goods movement (as well as other vehicles) to / from the Big Bend Industrial Area, as there is insufficient capacity to accommodate the left-turn volumes from Marine Way westbound onto North Fraser Way southbound. This causes left turning traffic to spill into the median westbound through-lane along Marine Way, and therefore also delays goods movement and other traffic on this major corridor that connects to the Boundary Road and Knight Street corridors.

To increase the capacity of the intersection and to reduce spillover from the westbound turn lane into the westbound through-lanes along Marine Way, this option would consist of the construction of a second left-turn bay at the Marine Way and North Fraser Way intersection. This additional lane would increase the capacity of the intersection for vehicles turning left into the Big Bend Industrial Area from Marine Way. The dual left-turn movements would improve the efficiency of goods movement by enabling more left-turning capacity to access the Big Bend Industrial Area, as well as ensuring that trucks (and other vehicles) bound for the Big Bend Industrial Area do not obstruct trucks (and other vehicles) travelling westbound along Marine Way.

Immediately south of the intersection, North Fraser Way crosses the CP Rail Marpole Spur at-grade. The pavement at this crossing would need to be widened slightly in order to provide a second receiving lane, and the railway crossing signals would have to be relocated and upgraded. It is anticipated that this option could be implemented without any major property impacts (other than widening North Fraser Way across the railway corridor), by eliminating of the dedicated right-turn lanes. This option would also provide space for the multi-use path on the south side of Marine Way to continue eastward from this intersection.

Train Volumes & AADT 2015 2030

Trains / Day: ≤1 ≤1 Total Blockage Delay (hh:mm): ≤0:02 ≤0:02

Marine Way AADT: 39,300 45,200

Plan View

Proposed Cross Section

Option Evaluation Score Comments Financial $2.3 M Capital cost ($2016).

Customer Service 9 Mitigate or eliminate vehicular delays associated with the westbound left turn movement at the intersection. Provisions for eastward extension of Multi-Use Path on the south side of Marine Way.

Socio-Community 6 Surrounding communities would be unaffected by this option, while noise and visual impacts would remain unaffected. In addition, emergency vehicle access and delays are anticipated to be unaffected.

Environmental 6 No significant environmental impacts anticipated. Economic Development 9 Improves truck and vehicular access to the Big Bend Industrial

Area; improves the efficiency of goods movement.

0 3 6 9 cSignificant Drawbacks Some Drawbacks Neutral Some Benefits Significant Benefits

Proposed Marine Way Westbound Dual Left Turn

Marine Way at North Fraser Way Looking West

*Not a design drawing, for illustrative purposes only.


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Option Location

Moray Channel Bridge Replacement

Location: Moray Channel Bridge between Lulu Island and Sea Island Road Authority: Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Rail Authority: N/A Mitigated:


Sea Island Way is the main road connection for vehicles travelling from Vancouver International Airport to Highway 99. Currently, vehicles travelling eastbound across the Moray Channel Bridge are susceptible to delays whenever the bridge swing-span is opened to enable passage of marine vessels. The bridge is also nearing the end of its structural service life, and will require significant refurbishment if it is not replaced. Some of the mechanical equipment used in the bridge swing mechanism are no longer commercially available, and must be custom manufactured.

The existing eastbound two-lane Moray Bridge would be replaced with a new eastbound three-lane bridge to the south of the existing alignment. The new bridge elevation would match the three-lane westbound Bridgeport Road crossing to provide adequate clearance to marine traffic without requiring a swing-span structure. As part of the scope of work, coordination of the traffic signals on Sea Island Way between No. 3 Road and Garden City Road could be used to improve the eastbound flow of vehicular traffic. Coordination of the traffic signals could also be undertaken immediately if desired.

Prior to implementation of this option, several issues may require further consideration in terms of impact mitigation: Ensuring that property impacts do not extend

beyond previously agreed-upon limits as part of the permitting of a recent development. Mitigation of property impacts to the Vancouver Marine will also be an important consideration.

Providing a signal cycle that is more favourable to east movements will have negative impacts on north-south movements.


Trains / Day: N/A N/A Total Blockage Delay (hh:mm): N/A N/A

Moray Bridge AADT: 19,000 32,700

Plan View

Detailed Plan View


Option Evaluation Account Score Comments Financial $84 M Capital cost including property ($2016).

Customer Service 9

Improvements for walking, cycling, transit and vehicles due to elimination of bridge closures, improvement in reliability to river navigation due to the elimination of risk of bridge swing mechanism failure.

Scio-Community 9

No anticipated property impacts; improve connections between the communities on Sea Island and the communities on Lulu Island; negligible noise impacts; marginal visual impacts; improved emergency service accessibility due to the elimination of bridge opening delays or associated detours.

Environmental 3

Minor effects on terrestrial wildlife and vegetation; narrow sections of land on both sides of the Fraser River designated ESA; potential effects to the Fraser River and small watercourses or drainages on the west side of the Fraser River.

Economic Development 9 Accommodates the growth of air cargo facilities on Sea Island Way by reducing interruptions in the movement of goods.


Moray Channel Bridge Replacement and Sea Island Way Signal Coordination Plan View

NORTH SOUTH

Moray Bridge Looking East

Moray Channel Bridge Replacement Plan View (South Bridge Alignment Preferred)

Drawing by CH2M Hill for BC MoTI South Coast Region.

Drawing by CH2M Hill for BC MoTI South Coast Region.


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Option Location

Westminster Highway Overpass

Location: Westminster Highway at the Ewen Industrial Branch crossing Road Authority: City of Richmond Rail Authority: CN Rail


Westminster Highway is an east-west arterial road in the City of Richmond that plays an important role for regional goods movement by providing access to the Fraser Richmond Industrial Lands from the east (via Nelson Road). Westminster Highway crosses the CN Rail Ewen Industrial Branch rail corridor at-grade, and therefore traffic on Westminster Highway (including goods movement vehicles) is subject to delays caused by train movements on this rail corridor. Although not currently subject to high train volumes, the rail line is anticipated to see increases in both the frequency and length of trains in the future, particularly if the Ewen Industrial Branch were to be extended to the Fraser Wharves. Although not currently an issue the presence of the at-grade crossing also limits the long-term flexibility of railway operations along the line.

The new four-lane alignment of Westminster Highway (currently under construction as part of a separate project) would be elevated to provide an overpass above the Ewen Industrial Branch railway line. West-facing ramps would be provided to maintain access to (north) Westminster Highway, and the multi-use path would remain at-grade in order to avoid creating a “hill” for pedestrians and cyclists. Over the longer term, grade-separation of this crossing could help enable increased flexibility for train operations along the Ewen Industrial Branch should such movements become necessary.

Prior to implementation of this option, several issues would require further consideration in terms of impact mitigation:

A temporary detour road built on agricultural lands may be required during construction of the overpass.

Loss of access across from Westminster Highway to No. 9 Road. This could potentially be mitigated through road improvements at the south end of No. 9 Road that would provide an alternative access point to Westminster Highway via either Nelson Road or McMillan Way.


Trains / Day: 2 8* Total Blockage Delay (hh:mm): 0:11 0:49*

Westminster Highway AADT: 11,500 19,500 * Assuming Ewen Rail extension is constructed, resulting in increased future rail traffic.

Plan View

Proposed Profile


Option Evaluation Score Comments Financial $29 M Capital cost ($2016). Customer Service 9 Eliminates delays and increases safety for vehicles, pedestrians and

cyclists by removing train conflicts, improves long-term rail operating flexibility, increased travel times for some trips to properties fronting (north) Westminster Highway.

Socio-Community 9 No permanent property impacts, negligible visual impacts, reduction in noise impacts due to train whistles, benefit to air quality and public health, decreased accessibility to northern Westminster Highway.

Environmental 6 Decreased emissions from idling vehicles, minor impacts during construction of detour roadway, no anticipated long term environmental impacts.

Economic Development 9 Decreased potential for economic disruptions due to elimination of train and vehicle conflicts; decreased travel time for goods movement vehicles using Westminster Highway.


Proposed Westminster Highway Rail Overpass

Westminster Highway Rail Overpass Looking West


Westminster Highway Overpass

Westminster Highway West Approach Looking West


Page E - 14

Option Location

Portside Road Overpass & Upgrade

Location: Portside Road at / south of Blundell Road Road Authority: City of Richmond and Port of Vancouver Rail Authority: CN Rail

Purpose

A major transportation issue facing the west portions of the Fraser Richmond Industrial Lands (FRIL) includes a bottleneck for the movement of container trucks and other vehicles at the intersection of No. 8 Road / Portside Road and Blundell Road. Delays and queueing concerns at this intersection are anticipated to be exacerbated in the future once all planned developments in the vicinity are implemented. A second and related issue is that the only access to businesses along Portside Road requires passing through the at-grade crossing with the Ewen Industrial Branch rail corridor just south of the intersection with No. 8 Road and Blundell Road. This at-grade crossing is adjacent to the eastern end of the Ewen Yard and it is subject to a very high number of train movements caused by switching movements associated with the yard. When trains are blocking the intersection, trucks and other vehicles travelling to/from the businesses located along Portside Road are obstructed.

A third issue is that westbound vehicles along Portside Road can be blocked by vehicles turning into individual businesses accesses. Lastly, there is currently no road or rail access to Area IV within the FRIL.

No. 8 Road and the No. 7 Road Canal to provide a westbound left turn lane. Implementing this dedicated left turn lane would provide operational and safety benefits along this corridor.

• The new development in the Area IV site to the west of the No. 7 Road Canal would be provided vehicular access through the extension of Portside Road across the No. 7 Road Canal. A parallel bridge across the canal would provide space for up to five railway tracks.

• A Multi-Use Path would be provided on the north side of Blundell Road. A second MUP could be maintained at-grade to “bypass” the raised intersection in order to avoid creating a “hill” for pedestrians and cyclists to climb if they are continuing along Blundell Road.

Option Description

This option features the following key components:

• The entire intersection of Blundell Road and No. 8 Road / Portside Road would be raised and widened. Raising the intersection will provide Portside Road with sufficient clearance above the Ewen Industrial Branch rail corridor, thereby eliminating the crossing with the railway tracks and its related delays. Widening the intersection would increase the capacity of the intersection and reduce vehicular delays, particularly for eastbound vehicles.

• Portside Road would be widened between


Trains / Day: 37* 41* ** Total Blockage Delay (hh:mm): 2:13 2:48*

Portside Road AADT: 2,600 2,900 * train volumes include switching movements ** assuming Ewen Rail extension is constructed resulting in increased future rail traffic

Plan View

Proposed Profile

Option Evaluation Score Comments Financial $85 M Capital costs ($2016); some additional property costs TBD. Customer Service 9 Eliminates delays to vehicles caused by train blockages; increased

capacity of the intersection; safety improvements due to removal of train and vehicle conflicts; eliminates left-turn delays on Portside Road.

Socio-Community 9 No property impacts; no noise impacts; no visual impacts, high compatibility with future plans and strategies; improved air quality due to elimination of emissions from idling vehicles.

Environmental 6 Require crossing of large drainage at No. 7 Road Canal, expected to initiate review or regulatory requirements with provincial agencies.

Economic Development c Eliminates queues and potential for economic disruptions to vehicles and trains by eliminating the conflicts between trains and vehicles / vehicles and vehicles. Access to Area IV enables site development.

0 3 6 9 c Significant Drawbacks Some Drawbacks Neutral Some Benefits Significant Benefits

Proposed Portside Road Overpass

Portside Road Overpass

Overall Scope of Proposed Options



Page E - 15

Option Location

Blundell Road Widening

Location: Blundell Road west of Nelson Road Road Authority: City of Richmond Rail Authority: N/A


The Fraser Richmond Industrial Lands (FRIL) are a key area within the region for international trade. These lands contain a significant amount of warehousing facilities for containers, which generate a large number of truck trips comparable to a marine container terminal. Blundell Road is the primary access point for many of these facilities and is often congested, which impacts the flow of international goods and the employees working in the area. Volumes are expected to increase substantially in the future, as additional sites, such as the Ecowaste development on the west side of the No. 7 Road Canal, are developed to provide additional warehousing. All vehicle access to and from this development will occur via Blundell Road. This increase in volume may negatively impact the road’s ability to accommodate additional volumes of goods being transported by truck. Therefore widening Blundell Road will mitigate the effects of the increased traffic and thereby support planned developments in the FRIL area.

This option would widen Blundell Road from a two‐lane road to a four‐lane divided arterial road with left turn lanes for a 1,500 metre length between just west of No. 8 Road and the No. 7 Road Canal. Sufficient right-of-way for this expansion already exists that would allow this widening on the south side of the existing road alignment. The current two-lane road would ultimately be repurposed as the two westbound lanes, once two new eastbound lanes are built just to the south of the existing road alignment. A landscaped median would also be provided and used to provide space for left turn lane storage bays where required.

It is understood that the existing road was constructed with the eventual four-laning in mind, and therefore no significant challenges are anticipated for its implementation. The east end of this option would tie into the Portside Road Overpass and Upgrade option.


Trains / Day: N/A N/A Total Blockage Delay (hh:mm): N/A N/A

Blundell Road AADT: 3,300 4,300

Plan View

Detailed Plan View


Option Evaluation Score Comments Financial $4.5 M Capital costs ($2016); some property costs TBD. Customer Service 9 Improves safety by enhancing visibility, reducing queuing and reducing

aggressive overtaking; reduces delays caused by signalized intersection; reduces delays to potential future bus transit routes along Blundell Road.

Socio-Community 6 Few property impacts; negligible visual and noise impacts; moderate improvement in emergency response speed; moderate benefits to air quality due to the reduction in idling from vehicles queuing.

Environmental 6 No significant environmental impacts. Economic Development 9 Increased goods movement capacity along this corridor to

accommodate additional development of industrial and logistics spaces that are required to support anticipated increases in international container trade through Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway in Vancouver.


Scope of Blundell Road Widening

NORTH SOUTH Blundell Road Extension Looking West, East of No. 7 Road

Proposed Layout of Road Widening



Page E - 16

Option Location

Plywood Road / Grace Road Interchange at Highway 17

Location: Plywood Road / Grace Road and Highway 17 Road Authority: City of Surrey, BC MoTI and Port of Vancouver Rail Authority: BNSF, port tenants


Highway 17 was originally constructed with temporary right–in / right–out access at Elevator Road. However, this access was recently closed. Vehicular and public access now provided to the west side of the South Westminster / Bridgeview Industrial Area from Highway 17 West via the Tannery Road Interchange and the Timberland Road/ Robson Road corridor. This route is now the sole access to the west side of the area and furthermore results in inefficient truck access to the west side of the South Westminster / Bridgeview Industrial Area and diminishes the long term flexibility for the development of port facilities in the vicinity, as they must be designed to continue to accommodate access via the Timberland/Robson corridor.

Plywood Road would be elevated to cross the railway corridor and Highway 17. West facing on- and off-ramps would provide connectivity between Highway 17 and Plywood Road. The new Plywood Road overpass would tie into the existing Plywood Road on the west side and an undeveloped parcel of land on the east side, and ultimately connect to Grace Road as a Y-intersection. This Y intersection would also allow River Road to be realigned to also connect to Grace Road. Several issues may require further consideration should this option be implemented:

• The Plywood Road overpass structure and connection to Grace Road will have to be designed to minimize noise and visual impacts to residential areas along the River Road corridor

• The intersection of Plywood Road and Elevator Road may also require grade-separation over the railway tracks the accommodate train operations, which could increase costs by $10 to $20 M.

• Due to space constraints, the overpass may need to provide a clear span across both Highway 17 and the railway corridor. Given the long span and unusual shape of the bridge structure, this could result in a high cost bridge structure. Further design development to optimize the alignment in a manner that simplifies the bridge structure is recommended.

• The location of the west abutment may need to be revised once there is further certainty regarding the number of tracks (and hence width of the train envelope) that the overpass must span.

• The undeveloped land parcel east of Plywood Road is zoned for business park use, although it is also envisioned as a community greenspace in planning policy. However, this property is owned by the City of Surrey and feedback from the City suggests that the proposed infrastructure could be considered if appropriate compensation is made.


Trains / Day: 15 19 Total Blockage Delay (hh:mm): 0:42 0:58

Highway 17 AADT: 27,100 35,800

Plan View


Option Evaluation Account Score Comments Financial $94 M Capital cost incl. some property ($2016); property cost in FSPL TBD.

Customer Service 9 Improved truck operations along Highway 17 destined to the western portions of the South Westminster / Bridgeview Industrial Area.

Socio-Community 9 Would reduce rat-running on local residential streets by connecting River Road to Grace Road; impact of truck movements on residential areas can be minimized through grading and noise walls if necessary.

Environmental 3 Significant impacts due to clearing of forested property to construct off-ramp from Highway 17; potential watercourse impacts.

Economic Development 9 Improved truck and employee access to port area; increased long-term flexibility for terminal layout within the Fraser Surrey Port Lands.


Plywood Road and Highway 17 Interchange

Plywood Road and Overpass

Plywood Road and Overpass Overtop of Rail Tracks in Fraser Surrey Port Lands



Page E - 17

Option Location

Bell Road Overpass

Location: CN Rail Yale Subdivision in Abbotsford east of the Mission Bridge Road Authority: City of Abbotsford Rail Authority: CN Rail


The Yale Subdivision, East of Matsqui Junction, forms the westbound approach to the Lower Mainland rail network. It is part of the directional running zone, and is the track upon which all CN and CP trains travelling from the rest of Canada arrive. Trains crossing to the north side of the Fraser River at Mission are sometimes required to wait while the rail bridge becomes available. These waiting trains block the CN mainline and delay other westbound trains. The high volume of trains also blocks local traffic and community connectivity along several streets (particularly Bell Road) for several hours of the day. Train whistling at all the crossings along this section of railway can also create a noise nuisance for local residents.

To enable a train waiting to cross the Mission Rail Bridge to stop for an extended period of time without violating Canadian Rail Operating Rule 103(d), the at-grade public road crossings at Hargitt Street, Bell Road and Swanson Street would need to be closed. To mitigate traffic and community severance impacts associated with these crossing closures, an overpass would be provided at Bell Road, the busiest road in the vicinity. The Hargitt Street and Swanson Street crossings would be closed and a new road would be constructed between these streets, parallel to and approximately 375 metres north of Fore Road, to provide access to the nearby properties that are currently accessed via Hargitt and Swanson Streets. The at-grade crossing at Beharrell Road would remain in order to provide reasonably distanced north and south connections over the railway corridor.

Prior to implementation of this option, several issues may require further consideration in terms of impact mitigation:

Impacts to the Agricultural Land Reserve. Construction of retaining walls or property

acquisition for embankments would be required for the approaches to the overpass.

Construction of new access roads would affect three properties west of Bell Road and two properties east of Bell Road.

This option would result in impacts to the local residents due to the change in local access, as well as visual impacts of the overpass structure.



Bell Road AADT: 700 700

Plan View

Detailed Plan View

Proposed Profile

Proposed Cross Sections


Customer Service 9 Rail efficiency improvements; travel time savings and reliability improvements for local traffic on Bell Road (the busiest road in the area); improved road safety due to closure of rail crossings.

Socio-Community 6 Some visual and property impacts to adjacent agricultural properties and residences; elimination of whistling noise; improved emergency vehicle access; improved First Nations connectivity to Fraser River via Bell Road due to elimination of train-related blockages.

Environmental 6 No significant environmental impacts anticipated.

Economic Development C Improves the ability of the rail networks to transport an increased volumes of goods, should demand for international trade increase.


Proposed Bell Road Overpass and Road

Bell Road Overpass

Proposed Bell Road Overpass

Bell Road Overpass Looking North, above CN Rail Tracks WEST EAST

New Farm Access Roads – Typical Section



Page E - 18

Option Location

96 Avenue Overpass

Location: CN Rail Yale Subdivision in Township of Langley west of Fort Langley

Road Authority: Township of Langley Rail Authority: CN Rail


The Yale Subdivision intersects with a number of roadways near Fort Langley, resulting in very significant community impacts in the area. This is especially noticeable for the developments in Fort Langley located to the north of the rail tracks, which are cut off from the transportation network when long trains travel past. These impacts will only become more apparent with future increased train traffic.

To reduce the significant community impacts resulting from future increased train traffic along the CN Rail Yale Subdivision, the rail crossing at 96 Avenue by Billy Brown Road would be grade separated. In order to preserve the existing road network as well as to reduce structure cost and complexity, the overpass would have a curved shape, minimizing the skew angle between the roadway and the rail tracks.

Prior to implementation of this option, several issues may require further consideration in terms of impact mitigation:

Additional refinements of horizontal and vertical alignments is required in order ensure an appropriate geometric design.

Impacts to the Agricultural Land Reserve. Construction of retaining walls or property

acquisition for embankments would be required for the approaches to the overpass.

This option would result in impacts to the local residents due to the change in local access, as well as visual impacts of the overpass structure.


Trains / Day: 22 36 Total Blockage Delay (hh:mm): 0:50* 1:20**

96 Avenue AADT: 5,600 5,600 * Scaled from future blockage delay using train / day percentage increase ** Average of three model days

Plan View

Proposed Profile

Proposed Cross Sections


Customer Service 9

Travel time savings and reliability improvements for local traffic on 96 Avenue; elimination of periodic community severance for the northern sections of Fort Langley; improved safety due to closure of rail crossing.

Socio-Community C

Some visual and property impacts to adjacent residential and agricultural properties; elimination of whistling noise at this rail crossing; improved connectivity to northern sections of Fort Langley due to elimination of train-related blockages, and the guarantee of a permanently open route.

Environmental 6 The presence of the SARA at-risk or rare red-legged frog has been identified in the area and may need species specific mitigation. Other terrestrial and aquatic impacts are anticipated to be minor.

Economic Development 6 No significant economic development impacts anticipated.


Proposed 96 Avenue Overpass and Road

96 Avenue Overpass Looking North, above CN Rail Tracks

96 Avenue Overpass



Page E - 19

Option Location

Harris Road Underpass & Allen Way Interchange

Location: Highway 7 and Harris Road Road Authority: Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and City of Pitt

Meadows Rail Authority: CP Rail


At certain times of the day Highway 7 experiences significant congestion, which creates delays for all road users, including local Pitt Meadows traffic, regional traffic and goods movement traffic. Highway 7 is the main east-west road corridor along the north side of the Fraser River extending from the Lower Mainland to the Fraser Canyon. Highway 7 also connects communities within the Fraser Valley. The existing at-grade railway crossing at Harris Road results in operational inefficiencies for train operations in the vicinity of the intermodal facility, located along CP Rail’s Cascade Subdivision that connects the region to the rest of Canada. Harris Road is also the primary arterial road that connects the Pitt Meadows urbanized area to the rest of the region (via Highway 7), and the high volume of train movements at this crossing frequently delays local Pitt Meadows road users.

This option consists of a single-point diamond inter-change to replace the existing signalized intersection at Highway 7 and Allen Way, with connections to the CP Vancouver Intermodal Yard to the south and a new road on the north side of Highway 7, which would connect Allen Way to Harris Road. The intersection at Highway 7 and Harris Road would be replaced with an overpass that would include right-in/right-out access to Highway 7. An underpass on Harris Road would replace the existing at-grade rail crossing.

If this option were to move forward towards implementation, several issues may require further consideration and / or mitigation:

• Impacts to the Agricultural Land Reserve. • Access to commercial properties on the

southeast and southwest quadrants of the Highway 7 and Harris Road interchange.

• Alternative access provisions for properties adjacent to the Harris Road Underpass.

• Maintaining traffic flow and train movements during construction.



Highway 7 AADT: 67,000 74,000 Harris Road AADT: 22,500 23,900

Plan View

Detailed Plan View

Proposed Profile


Customer Service C

Improved rail and trucking operation efficiencies; considerable travel time savings for Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge residents; traffic safety improvements by removing conflicts between trains and vehicles; potential improvements for West Coast Express capacity.

Socio-Community 6 Some impacts to agricultural properties and businesses; some impacts to heritage properties; minor visual and noise impacts.

Environmental 3 Project will be in the vicinity of seven terrestrial and four aquatic at risk species; underpass would require relocating two heritage buildings; decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle idling.

Economic Development C Enables improved rail operating efficiency of CP’s intermodal facility and of Highway 7 for trucking, both of which will help the region accommodate potential growth in demand for international trade.


Harris Road Rail Underpass

Allen Way Interchange, and Harris Road Overpass and Underpass

Harris Road Rail Underpass


Page E - 20

Option Location

Kennedy Road Overpass

Location: Kennedy Road south of Highway 7 Road Authority: City of Pitt Meadows Rail Authority: CP Rail


Kennedy Road is the only at-grade crossing that trains must pass through as they move between CP Rail’s Vancouver Intermodal Facility and Coquitlam Yard. This crossing impacts the flexibility of train building and movements across the Pitt River Rail Bridge between these two facilities. These two facilities are both located along the Cascade Subdivision that connects the Lower Mainland to the rest of Canada. Kennedy Road, a truck route, has among the largest daily number of train movements (and total blockage) of any at-grade rail crossing of any road in the region. This creates travel delays and reliability impacts for local road users in Pitt Meadows. Furthermore, in the event of a train crossing, the nearest alternative route is via Harris Road, which would represent over a 12 km long detour for a road user intending to travel westwards across the Pitt River Bridge. The high train volumes at this crossing also create a correspondingly high level of train whistling noise.

This option would eliminate the at-grade crossing of the CP Rail Cascade Subdivision at Kennedy Road by providing an overpass of Kennedy Road above the railway tracks along the existing road alignment.

Several issues may require further consideration regarding impact mitigation if this option were to move towards implementation:

Retaining walls or property acquisition would be required for the approaches to the Kennedy Road overpass.

A construction easement would be required from properties adjacent to the overpass to provide a temporary at-grade crossing while the overpass is being constructed.

Further confirmation of appropriate shoulder widths for cycling should be developed, in the context of any anticipated road cross-section changes to Kennedy Road on either side of the overpass. Additional road widening along the Kennedy Road corridor to provide shoulders could increase property impacts to agricultural lands.



Kennedy Road AADT: 2,400 4,200

Plan View

Detailed Plan View

Proposed Profile



Customer Service 9 Improved rail and trucking operating efficiencies; travel time savings and improved reliability for local road users on Kennedy Road, which is one of the two roads crossing the CP rail tracks in Pitt Meadows.

Socio-Community 9 No long term impacts to adjacent properties beyond relocation of access points; elimination of train whistling noise; improved emergency access and response reliability.

Environmental 6 Environmental impacts and benefits are anticipated to be relatively minor, although there will be some agricultural land impacts during construction.

Economic Development 9 Enables more efficient rail operations between CP’s Vancouver Intermodal Facility and Port Coquitlam Rail, which will help the region accommodate potential growth in demand for international trade.


Proposed Kennedy Road Overpass

Proposed Kennedy Road Overpass

Kennedy Road Overpass

Kennedy Road Overpass Looking North WEST EAST




Page E - 21

Option Location

Westwood Street Underpass

Location: Westwood Street north of Dewdney Trunk Road Road Authority: City of Coquitlam and City of Port Coquitlam Rail Authority: CP Rail


This option seeks to address both rail operations and road user impacts at the at-grade crossing of Westwood Street and the CP Rail Cascade Subdivision, which is the primary rail line to the port facilities on the South Shore of the Burrard Inlet. The presence of the at-grade crossing impacts operational flexibility for building trains to the west of the Coquitlam Yard, and therefore the overall capacity to move goods by rail within the region. Goods movement by rail to/from these port facilities is expected to increase considerably in the future. Westwood Street is also a major north-south corridor within the Tri-Cities area, and forms the municipal border between Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam. The high volume of train movements through this crossing creates significant delays for local road users in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam. Additionally, train movements can impact the reliability of emergency response vehicles.

This option would grade-separate the existing at-grade railway crossing at Westwood Street by providing an underpass beneath the railway corridor. Gordon Avenue and Davies Street would be connected with a bridge structure that parallels the rail corridor. Property access has been addressed as follows:

The properties north and south of the underpass that connect to Westwood Street would also require realignment of their accesses due to new grade differences. Specifically, on the east side of Westwood Street, the first property north of the rail corridor would have their primary access on Davies Street while the second property would shift its primary access point further northwards on Westwood Street.

The property to the southwest of the underpass crossing would have its access changed so as to use Hosmer Court. The property to the southeast would have a provisional access at their southwest corner that acts as an east leg to the Westwood Street and Dewdney Trunk Road intersection.

A key issue that would require further consideration if the project were to move forward to implementation is a traffic management strategy. Maintaining traffic flow during construction could reduce impacts to road users, residents and businesses, but may increase project costs associated with temporary detouring works. Impacts to railway operations would also need to be considered.



Westwood Street AADT: 21,000 33,800

Plan View

Proposed Profile


Option Evaluation Score Comments Financial $ 50 M Capital cost including property ($2016). Customer Service C Improved efficiency for rail operations; significant travel time savings

for local road users; traffic safety improvements by removing conflicts between trains and other road users; potential to provide improved walking and cycling facilities.

Socio-Community 6 Some direct property impacts and indirect property access impacts; some community severance due to removal of direct roadway connections, although also reduced community severance due to removal; of train blockages; improved emergency response access; consistency with regional and municipal plans.

Environmental 9 Anticipated decrease in greenhouse gas emissions due to reduced idling; few anticipated negative impacts.

Economic Development C Enables improved rail operation efficiency at CP’s Coquitlam Yard, which will help the region accommodate potential growth in demand for international trade.


Proposed Westwood Street Underpass and Road*

Westwood Street Underpass Looking South EAST WEST

Bridge Structure for Rail Tracks


Westwood Street Underpass Road*


Page E - 22

Option Location

Kingsway Avenue Overpass

Location: Kingsway Avenue east of Westwood Street Road Authority: City of Coquitlam and City of Port Coquitlam Rail Authority: CP Rail s) Mitigated:


The presence of an at-grade road / rail crossing at Kingsway Avenue (along with those at Colony Farm Road and Pitt River Road) negatively impacts the efficiency of railway operations along the CP Rail Westminster Subdivision. Train movements also impact traffic movements to / from Westwood Street (the municipal boundary between Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam) from Kingsway Avenue, and train whistling can create a noise nuisance for nearby residents.

The existing intersection of Kingsway Avenue and Westwood Street would be closed, and the Kingsway Avenue at-grade crossing of the CP Rail Westminster Subdivision tracks just south of MacAulay Junction would be eliminated. Kingsway Avenue and Westwood Street would be connected via a new grade-separated extension of Kingsway Avenue overtop of the railway corridor and Westwood Street. The west side of the overpass would touch down just north of Greene Street. All existing movements are accommodated; however, the roads would be re-aligned such that Kingsway Avenue and the northern leg of Westwood Street would become a continuous route, while the southern leg of Westwood Street would approach the “T”-intersection as the third leg. Greene Street would then be extended and form an intersection with Westwood Street so as to accommodate local traffic.

Several issues may require further consideration if this option were to be implemented:

Acquisition of approximately ten to twelve properties in Port Coquitlam would be required for the construction of the overpass and its approaches.

Accessibility to properties on the south side of Kingsway Avenue and Westwood Street would be more indirect due to closure of direct access to Kingsway Avenue from Bedford Street and Burleigh Avenue.

The intersection would be reoriented to provide continuity between Westwood Street (North) to Kingsway Avenue; Westwood Street (South) would become a third leg.

The overpass structure would result in significant visual impacts on nearby residents.



Kingsway Avenue AADT: 14,500 18,500

Plan View



Customer Service 9 Improved rail operation efficiencies; road safety improvements by removing conflicts trains and vehicles.

Socio-Community 3

Eliminates train-related severance; eliminates whistling noise; significant visual and property impacts to surrounding area; potential for some landscaping mitigation measures on leftover portions of purchased properties.

Environmental 6 Potential minor effects to Maple Creek watercourse; potential relocation of heritage property at 2050 Westwood Street required; potential GHG reduction resulting from reduced idling.

Economic Development 9

Improved rail operational efficiency for access to CP’s Coquitlam Yard this could help provide additional capacity for goods movement by rail to and from anticipated new terminals in the North Shore Trade Area and Fraser Richmond Industrial Lands.


Proposed Kingsway Avenue Overpass

Kingsway Avenue Overpass Looking West


EAST WEST


Page E - 23

Option Location

Pitt River Road Overpass

Location: Pitt River Road and Highway 7 Road Authority: City of Coquitlam Rail Authority: CP Rail


The presence of an at-grade road / rail crossing at Pitt River Road (along with those at Colony Farm Road and Kingsway Avenue) negatively impacts the efficiency of railway operations along the CP Rail Westminster Subdivision. Train movements also impact local traffic movements to/from Pitt River Road, and can also create a vehicle queue “spillover” into the northbound through lanes on Highway 7. The intersection also features turning movements restrictions. The intersection also provides poor walking, cycling and transit connectivity. This location is also intended to become the “front door” to the Riverview Hospital redevelopment, and therefore Pitt River Road needs to be elevated in order to provide access to the hospital site.

The intersection of Pitt River Road and Highway 7 would be raised approximately 9 m above the current grade, with Pitt River Road passing over top of the railway corridor, thereby eliminating the existing at-grade crossing. The existing sidewalk on Pitt River Road would be extended across the raised intersection and will continue westwards along the new road that accesses the Riverview Hospital site. A southbound left turn lane would be added, thereby enabling a movement that is currently not permitted. A northbound left turn lane would also be provided to allow access from Lougheed Highway to the Riverview Hospital site. Provisions for bus stops could be provided in the vicinity of the Pitt River Road and Highway 7 intersection. Several issues may require further consideration if this option were to be implemented:

A number of protected trees are located on the Riverview Hospital site. These trees would require special consideration if any are found to be in the immediate vicinity of the project.

Project timing would need to be coordinated with the redevelopment of the Riverview Hospital site.

Due to the height required for an overpass to cross above the railway tracks, the BC Hydro transmission lines that currently run parallel to the rail tracks may need to be moved or elevated so as to maintain sufficient clearance.

Traffic management during construction would be a challenge and may require a combination of lane narrowing and temporary retaining walls, temporary road realignments, and potentially closing Pitt River Road for an extended period of time.



Highway 7 AADT: 58,000 66,000* Pitt River Road AADT: 14,200 15,000*

*2030 AADT volumes estimated using RTM which does not yet account for Riverview Hospital or Kwikwetlem FN developments.

Plan View

Proposed Profiles

Option Evaluation Account Score Comments Financial $53 M Capital cost ($2016) excl. west leg of intersection; property cost TBD.

Customer Service C

Improved rail operation efficiencies; minor improvement to local truck movement efficiency; improvement for pedestrian and cyclist connectivity; road safety improvements by removing conflicts between trains and vehicles; improved access to local destinations.

Socio-Community 9 Improved connectivity between Riverview Hospital Site (undergoing redevelopment) and Coquitlam / Port Coquitlam; consistent with municipal plans; improved emergency access.

Environmental 6 Minor environmental impacts from option footprint; construction and detouring footprint may cause larger impacts.

Economic Development C





Highway 7



Page E - 24

Option Location

Colony Farm Road Overpass

Location: Colony Farm Road and Highway 7 Road Authority: City of Coquitlam Rail Authority: CP Rail ID: 3201E (East Segment) Gateway Issue(s) Mitigated:

Rail operational and capacity constraints along the CP Westminster Subdivision


The presence of an at-grade road / rail crossing at Colony Farm Road (along with those at Pitt River Road and Kingsway Avenue) negatively impacts the efficiency of railway operations along the CP Rail Westminster Subdivision. Train movements also impact traffic movements and reliability of access to the Kwiketlem First Nation, the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital and Colony Farm Regional Park. A reliable crossing is particularly important to provide emergency vehicle access to the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital. The crossing has also been identified by the community as a safety concern. The current signalized intersection also provides a poor quality connection for walking and cycling along a route that is intended to become part of a municipal and regional greenway network. Finally, train whistling also creates noise impacts to nearby residents.

In this option, Colony Farm Road would pass overtop of the CP rail corridor and Highway 7, and would tie into Cape Horn Avenue, which would be raised above its current grade. As the signalized intersection at Highway 7 and Colony Farm Road would be removed, a new connection from Colony Farm Road to Highway 7 would be provided via Cape Horn Avenue through the Riverview Hospital site. Cape Horn Avenue will tie into a new T-intersection with Highway 7 located approximately 1,500 m east of the existing intersection. To be consistent with the City of Coquitlam’s Strategic Transportation Plan, a walking and cycling greenway could be constructed on the west side of the overpass where it would tie into the redeveloped Riverview Hospital site. Prior to implementation of this option, several issues may require further consideration, including:

• A number of protected trees are located on the Riverview Hospital site. Those trees would require special consideration if any are found to be in the immediate vicinity of the option.

• Retaining walls would be required in order to raise Cape Horn Avenue above its current grade. The Colony Farm Road approach could be constructed with embankments instead. This may be less expensive but could increase the impact on the Agricultural Land Reserve.

• Geotechnically challenging soils. • The BC Hydro transmission lines that parallel

the tracks would have to be elevated. • Road design will need to take into account

potential for flooding as well as existing and proposed utilities that may pose constraints.



Colony Farm Road AADT: 1,600 1,600

Plan View

Proposed Profile


Option Evaluation Account Score Comments Financial $30 M Capital cost; property cost TBD.

Customer Service C Improved rail operation efficiencies; improved road user travel times and reliability; incorporation of proposed cyclist and pedestrian greenway; safety improvements from removal of at-grade crossing.

Socio-Community 9

Eliminates train-related severance to Colony Farm Regional Park, the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital (FPH) and Kwikwetlem First Nation reserve; increased connectivity between Riverview Hospital site and FPH; reliable emergency access to FPH; elimination of train whistling.

Environmental 6 Two at risk terrestrial species are located in the adjacent areas, removal of culvert may improve adjacent watercourse; flooding risk.

Economic Development C








Page E - 25

Implementation Strategy At the conclusion of the FRTA Study, all recommendations are simply considered preferred “options” and none have yet become “projects”. However, a preliminary implementation strategy has been developed to provide a starting point for the Gateway Transportation Collaboration Forum (GTCF) partners to identify partnerships and delivery opportunities should any of these options move forward to become a project. With over 14 separate options recommended throughout the Fraser River Trade Area along with several other key initiatives, a consistent delivery approach is suggested. A consistent delivery approach provides a number of advantages:

≈ Project Development - Funding: Once identified as a potential project by the GTCF, applications for federal funding would be similar in format which will result in cost efficiencies in preparing the various business cases and should expedite the funding approval process;

≈ Project Development – Design: With funding approved, preliminary and detailed design of the project would commence in a consistent manner, especially if one or more options are chosen to be delivered under a single project;

≈ The coordination with external stakeholders would be similar thus creating a positive and fair process during potential scope negotiations;

≈ Consultation with First Nations would be similar between potential projects and more effective if numerous projects were considered as a program rather than individually;

≈ Messaging and potential public consultation during project delivery would be similar between projects, therefore eliminating potential conflicts with other broader Gateway related initiatives.

To maintain this consistency across all of the potential projects identified by the GTCF and applicable stakeholders from the list of recommended options, a program should be established to administer the project development and eventual delivery. In delivering all or most of the potential projects under one program, the overall program would receive consistent support from the various agencies representing the GTCF and from the various funding partners, irrespective of their potential funding contributions

to any individual project. To administer the program, a single administrative team should be formed with overall direction provided by the GTCF. The administrative team would be responsible for the following:

≈ Ensuring that business cases for funding applications are prepared in a consistent manner;

≈ Providing advice and assisting in negotiations regarding funding contributions from potential beneficiaries;

≈ Providing advice on the contracting methodology and / or bundled delivery of several projects as a single contract;

≈ Providing advice in identifying the appropriate delivery agency;

≈ Providing project development oversight;

≈ Scheduling of the overall program and each individual project;

≈ Providing overall program cost controls;

≈ Providing on-going reporting on program status. In terms of delivering the various recommended options once they are advanced to the project level, it should be noted that some options are interdependent or otherwise related. This means that two (or more) projects may need to be simultaneously completed in order to fully achieve the benefits of each project. In other cases, individual projects may have a “trigger”, where the benefits of the project would only emerge once a specific action or development is undertaken. These interdependencies include:

≈ Along the CP Rail Westminster Subdivision, grade-separation of the crossings at Colony Farm Road, Pitt River Road, and Kingsway Avenue should generally proceed in the order of (1) Pitt River Road, (2) Colony Farm Road, and (3) Kingsway Avenue in order to leverage the greatest interim efficiencies for moving trains between the CP Rail network to / from the North Shore or Richmond, as well as trains from the CN Rail network to / from the South Shore.

≈ In the Fraser Richmond Industrial Lands, the Portside Road Overpass and Upgrade should occur prior to, or simultaneously with, the Blundell Road Four-Laning. The latter option will not provide any significant benefit unless the former option is in place first.

≈ Retiming of signals along Sea Island Way should be considered in conjunction with the Moray Channel Bridge


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replacement, but should also occur on a regular basis regardless of whether the bridge is replaced or not.

To better understand some of the other elements affecting future project delivery, a high level assessment was conducted to identify the actual beneficiaries and the potential delivery agency for each recommended option. For each recommended option, the potential beneficiaries and delivery agencies have been summarized in Table E.5 for each recommended option and briefly summarized below:

≈ In developing a list of potential beneficiaries, consideration was given to identify both direct beneficiaries as well as those that benefit indirectly. For example, a municipality could benefit from road network improvements in an adjacent municipality, a road agency could benefit from a project that moves traffic to another agency’s road, and the Port of

Vancouver could benefit from improvements to the railway network. In some cases, beneficiaries may have previously identified the recommended mitigation option as a desired improvement in their own transportation planning process, while in other cases the recommended option may be a “new” idea that is not known to have been previously contemplated by any agency.

≈ The potential delivery agency has been identified for each recommended option should the option become a project. This may be the agency that stands to benefit the most, but could also be another agency that is not proposed to contribute a significant share of the funding, however may be well-positioned to deliver a project. Generally, the applicable road authority has been identified as the preferred delivery agency, especially in those recommended options where land acquisition may be required.

Table E.5: Summary of Potential Beneficiaries and Delivery Agencies

Mitigation Option Potential Beneficiaries (Road and / or Community) Potential Beneficiaries (Rail) Potential Delivery Agency

North Fraser Way at Marine Way Dual Left Turn Burnaby, TransLink n/a City of Burnaby Moray Bridge Replacement & Sea Island Way Signal Coordination MoTI, YVR, Richmond n/a MoTI

Westminster Highway Overpass The Port of Vancouver, TransLink, Richmond The Port of Vancouver, Railways City of Richmond

Portside Road Overpass & Upgrade Richmond, the Port of Vancouver, The Port of Vancouver, Railways The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority*

Blundell Road Four-Laning The Port of Vancouver, Richmond n/a City of Richmond (or the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority if combined with Portside Road Overpass & Upgrade)

Plywood Road / Grace Road Interchange at Highway 17

MoTI, Surrey, Delta, the Port of Vancouver, BNSF The Port of Vancouver, Railways The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

Bell Road Overpass Abbotsford The Port of Vancouver, Railways City of Abbotsford 96 Avenue (East) Overpass Township of Langley n/a Township of Langley

Harris Road Underpass & Allen Way Interchange

MoTI, Pitt Meadows, TransLink, the Port of Vancouver, Railways The Port of Vancouver, Railways

MoTI (and City of Pitt Meadows if Harris Road Underpass delivered separately).

Kennedy Road Overpass Pitt Meadows The Port of Vancouver, Railways City of Pitt Meadows Westwood Street Underpass TransLink, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam The Port of Vancouver, Railways City of Coquitlam Kingsway Avenue Overpass TransLink, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam The Port of Vancouver, Railways City of Port Coquitlam

Pitt River Road Overpass TransLink, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, BC Housing, Kwikwetlem First Nation The Port of Vancouver, Railways City of Coquitlam


TransLink, Coquitlam, BC Housing, Metro Vancouver, Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, Kwikwetlem First Nation

The Port of Vancouver, Railways City of Coquitlam

* The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is responsible for the stewardship of federal port lands at the Port of Vancouver, and would be the actual agency that would be responsible for the delivery of any “port-led” mitigation options.


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A number of other implementation considerations have also been identified for each recommended option based on the input received and technical analysis conducted during the issue identification through option evaluation steps. These implementation considerations include items such as:

≈ Timing / priority

≈ Project Bundling

≈ Project Development Duration

≈ Construction Duration

≈ Project Approvals and Permitting

≈ Pubic Consultation

≈ First Nations Consultation

≈ Potential Major Delivery Risks, Challenges and Considerations

Other Key Initiatives In addition to the 14 recommended mitigation options, there are a number of other key initiatives that have been developed or documented during the FRTA Study which could address several other key transportation issues identified through the technical analysis and stakeholder engagement activities. These key initiatives are listed below for further consideration by the GTCF:

≈ Whistle Cessation at the locations identified through the Community Impact Assessment

≈ Brunette Avenue Interchange including New Westminster Rail Crossings

≈ Old Yale Road Overpass and Brownsville Area

≈ Sunbury and Tilbury Interchanges

≈ Fraser Richmond Industrial Lands access Improvements


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