Feds invest in Asia-Pacific Gateway infrastructure

OTTAWA, Ontario— The federal government is making an investment of approximately $16.5 million for nine Asia-Pacific Gateway transportation infrastructure projects in British Columbia.

The following projects have been selected to receive funding from the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Transportation Infrastructure Fund (APGCTIF), in response to a call for proposals that was launched on March 13, 2015. This funding is conditional on the projects meeting federal eligibility requirements under the APGCTIF and the signing of a contribution agreement.

• Deltaport Terminal Road and Rail Improvement Project, Truck Staging Project – Port Metro Vancouver;
• Lansdowne Road Extension and No. 2 Road Upgrade – City of Richmond;
• Bridgeview Drive Improvement Project – City of Surrey;
• Knight Street and Marine Drive Intersection Improvements – City of Vancouver;
• Inter-Regional Commercial Corridor Travel Time System (ICCTTS) – City of Surrey;
• Railway Information Crossing System – British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure;
• 13th Street and Bellevue Avenue Rail Crossing Improvements – District of West Vancouver;
• Boundary Road Highway 97 S to Highway 16 W Connector Conceptual Design – City of Prince George; and
• Truck Route Study – District of Squamish.

Launched in 2006, the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative (APGCI) aims to make Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway the best transportation network facilitating global supply chains between North America and Asia. It is a network of seaports, airports, railways, roadways and border crossings that reaches across Western Canada.

To date, the Government of Canada has invested close to $1.4 billion in APGCI infrastructure projects, in partnership with all four Western provinces, municipalities, transportation authorities and the private sector, for a total project value of over $3.5 billion.

Details on the individual projects are below:

Deltaport Terminal Road and Rail Improvement Project, Truck Staging Project
The Government of Canada will provide Port Metro Vancouver with $6 million to help build a new paved truck staging area at the junction of Highway 17A and Deltaport Way in Delta, BC. The $18.3-million project will help:

• eliminate truck staging bottlenecks in and around the Deltaport Terminal;
• improve road safety by reducing truck queuing on public roads/highways; and
• reduce congestion and increase the efficient movement of trade at Canada’s largest marine port facility.

Lansdowne Road Extension and No. 2 Road Upgrade
The Government of Canada will contribute $4,952,500 to the City of Richmond for major upgrades to Lansdowne and No. 2 roads. The $10-million project involves building an interim three-lane road along Lansdowne and selective widening of No. 2 Road. These upgrades will:

• increase capacity for more vehicles;
• reduce congestion and travel delays; and
• improve truck access to the regional and provincial highway system and support the distribution of goods.

Bridgeview Drive Improvementnt Project
The Government of Canada will provide the City of Surrey with $3,040,000 towards widening Bridgeview Drive from 2 to 4 lanes, from the South Fraser Perimeter Road to King George Boulevard. This $6.4-million project will:

• provide a multi-use path along the west side of Bridgeview Drive;
• extend the city’s bike network with on-street bike lanes on both sides; and
• increase road capacity, while reducing congestion and bottlenecks.

Knight Street and Marine Drive Intersection Improvements
The Government of Canada will contribute $1 million to the City of Vancouver for improvements to reduce collisions and bottlenecks at the existing Knight Street and Marine Drive intersection. The $2.3-million project will:

• create a new westbound left-turn bay on Marine Drive;
• widen the northbound to eastbound Knight Street Bridge off-ramp; and
• improve cycling and pedestrian access.

Inter-Regional Commercial Corridor Travel Time System
The Government of Canada will provide $921,152 to the City of Surrey towards installing an intelligent transportation system that will include:

• bluetooth detectors to capture granular speed data through four region-wide corridors; and
• dynamic message signs to inform commuters and commercial traffic of travel times to common destinations.

This $1.8-million project will reduce overall congestion by giving drivers the information they need to pick the most efficient route.

Railway Information Crossing System
The Government of Canada will provide the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation with $300,000 to help install a Railway Information Crossing System along the Roberts Bank Rail Corridor. This $3.8-million system will:

• give drivers real-time information on alternate, less-congested routes. This, in turn, will reduce driving time and greenhouse gas emissions due to less idling;
• make the trade corridor more reliable; and
• provide more efficient rail connectivity to Roberts Bank Terminals.

13th Street and Bellevue Avenue Rail Crossing Improvements
The Government of Canada will contribute $207,190 to the District of West Vancouver to upgrade a rail crossing along the CN’s Squamish Subdivision. This rail crossing connects the major CN intermodal terminal in Vancouver with the Squamish Terminals in Squamish, BC. The $414,380 project will improve traffic flow along CN’s rail corridor and increase safety for motorists.

Boundary Road Highway 97 S to Highway 16 W Connector Conceptual Design
The City of Prince George aims to undertake a $135,000 project on Highway 97 South to Highway 16 West to reduce congestion, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and divert movement of dangerous goods. The Government of Canada will contribute $67,500 towards costs related to project mapping, conceptual alignment, estimates, land requirements, a traffic impact study, and engineer recommendations.

Truck Route Study
The Government of Canada will provide the District of Squamish with $50,000 towards a $111,500 study to:

• evaluate existing commercial vehicle routes; and
• identify a preferred truck route that supports the movement of heavy vehicles serving the key industrial/port areas of the District, including the Squamish marine terminals and CN Rail yard.