New Westminster and Coquitlam have gone to court and arbitration in the past to resolve some of their differences about traffic, but they’re driving forward together on plans for the Brunette Avenue interchange.
The neighbouring cities have established a task force so they can develop a joint response to the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s plan for the new Brunette Avenue interchange project.
“Given the potential impacts of a new Brunette Avenue interchange, it is critical that we work together to ensure the best interests of our respective communities are kept front and centre,” Mayor Jonathan Cote said in a press release. “This joint task force is an ideal forum for New Westminster and Coquitlam to advocate for that to occur.”
Cote and Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart will co-chair the task force, which will also include two councillors and senior engineering/transportation staff from each city.
“ICBC statistics show this interchange has the highest frequency of crashes of any location within Coquitlam,” Stewart said in a press release. “It’s the only interchange that remained unchanged during the recent Port Mann Bridge/Trans-Canada Highway upgrade and it’s the main route from the Tri-Cities to Royal Columbian, our regional hospital. We look forward to working collaboratively with the City of New Westminster in order to move the Brunette interchange project forward.”
Members of the task force plan to conclude their work and report back to their respective councils no later than Feb. 27.
In December, the ministry held a number of open houses in New Westminster and Coquitlam to get feedback on the three options being considered for the new interchange. Input from the open houses, as well as feedback forms, will be incorporated into a summary report that is expected to be released early this year.
The ministry has stated the public’sinput will help the province select a preferred option for the connector. It’s also working with staff from New Westminster and Coquitlam and TransLink to develop conceptual design options for the interchange.
