Pitt Meadows Railway Underpass Project

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If you’ve ever been in Pitt Meadows when a train is passing you know how long it can take sometimes. Pitt Meadows is home to two of the busiest rail crossings in the Lower Mainland. Currently, these two rail crossings are blocked for an average of 3.5 hours and 1.75 hours each day due to trains. With increasing trade volumes, train traffic in Pitt Meadows is forecasted to double over the next 10 years. As a result, blockages at Harris Road increase to 6.7-7 hours per day.

The project will separate road and rail traffic at Harris Road. This will make local commutes faster and safer, improve community connections through more reliable traffic flow and improve emergency response times.

The City is:

  • Working closely with the port authority and CP to ensure the Harris Road underpass meet the needs of the community—including improved public safety, reduced congestion, more reliable commutes, and better emergency response times.
  • Working with project partners to implement feasible noise and vibration mitigation options, long-term effects on traffic and changes to the character of the community, and improve livability for all who live and work in Pitt Meadows.
  • Working with the Pitt Meadows Heritage and Museum Society to find a new location for the Hoffmann & Son Machine Shop and the General Store.

Project Features and Benefits

The Pitt Meadows Road and Rail Improvements Project provides many benefits to our community. Eliminating the at-grade rail crossing at Harris Road will:

  • enhance emergency response for police, fire and ambulance services;
  • make commutes faster and safer;
  • reduce vehicle emissions and congestion; and
  • foster community connections and make Pitt Meadows a more livable city.

The project includes:

  • A new four-lane underpass below the CP main rail crossing at Harris Road.
  • A new two-lane overpass on Kennedy Road over the main rail line entrance to CP’s Vancouver Intermodal Facility.

The project also includes the relocation of Museum and heritage buildings to create a heritage site.

As part of the project, CP is building:

  • A 6,000 feet extension of the existing lead track that accesses the Vancouver Intermodal Facility, east across Harris Road.
  • An additional 10,000 feet of new siding track on the north side of the existing tracks between Harris Road and Kennedy Road.
  • Neither the port authority nor the City of Pitt Meadows has jurisdiction over rail operations or infrastructure decisions within the rail corridor.
  • CP can build the lead track extension and rail siding track without collaboration with the port authority or the City as long as they meet applicable federal regulations/laws.

Timeline

The below timeline shows historical events as well as the project’s anticipated timeline.

  • 2017 – Project submitted to the National Trade Corridors Fund for funding 
  • 2018 – Early public engagement held in Pitt Meadows on the future of transportation in the city 
  • 2018 – The Government of Canada grants funding to design and build the project through the National Trade Corridors Fund 
  • October 21 – November 22, 2019 – First phase of public engagement 
  • July 7-28, 2020 – Phase two engagement, part one for the Kennedy Road overpass 
  • Spring 2021 – Update on the noise and vibration study and rail component of the project led by CP 
  • Fall 2021 – Update on alignment of Harris Road underpass, heritage building relocations, opinion research, and noise and vibration mitigation  
  • 2021 – Project partnering agreement with the City of Pitt Meadows approved 
  • Spring 2022 – Phase three engagement: Harris Road underpass 
  • Late 2022 – Final agreement and approval of design and construction plan between the port authority, CP, and City of Pitt Meadows 
  • Late 2022 – Final design update: Harris Road underpass 
  • 2023 – Final project approval 
  • 2023 – Construction begins 
  • 2026 – Project completion