The truce between New Westminster and Coquitlam seems to have soured rather quickly as the two cities have differing views on a "missing link" in the region's transportation network.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr met with Coquitlam council on June 9 to discuss how improved connections from the South Fraser Perimeter Road to the new Port Mann Bridge would benefit both New Westminster and Coquitlam. Coquitlam council initially seemed supportive of the concept, but rejected it a week later after reading the consultant's report Puchmayr had referenced.
"It seemed to me that Mr. Puchmayr and New Westminster were not willing to tell us the whole story, the real story, the true story," said Coquitlam Coun. Brent Asmundson. "It's unfortunate."
Puchmayr told Coquitlam council that the consultant's report presented options for improved connections from the South Fraser Perimeter Road to the Port Mann Bridge ranging from $250 to $400 million. He said poor connections are forcing trucks to take longer routes, which impacts greenhouse gas emissions and goods movement.
"That's ludicrous that Mr. Asmundson would say that. It is absolutely not on," he said of suggestions he misled Coquitlam council. "I certainly pointed out that connection to the South Fraser Perimeter Road and the Port Mann Bridge can be made. We have a report that shows three different options for that. There's also a possibility of reducing that so it is strictly appealing to traffic going into the northeast sector and coming from the northeast sector."
A better connection from South Fraser Perimeter Road to the Port Mann Bridge would have "huge benefits" for Coquitlam residents, Puchmayr said.
"I don’t think they have flatly rejected it. If they want to look at what can we do to make goods movement better from the northeast sector, 80 per cent of that traffic, those trucks going through New Westminster are actually not even serving New Westminster. So if we are truly concerned about goods movement and about air quality and about connecting that infrastructure, it's a win-win for everybody. Rather than look at how we can't make it happen, I would hope they would look at how we can make this happen."
In a report to city council, Coquitlam engineering manager Jozsef Diozeghy stated that the Delcan study referenced by Puchmayr pointed to high implementation costs, significant community impacts in Surrey, little traffic diversion from the Pattullo Bridge and little benefit to the region.
Puchmayr said the consultant's report was done in response to concerns raised by New Westminster brought about the poor connections from the South Fraser Perimeter Road to the Port Mann Bridge. The city has repeatedly voiced concern that trucks travelling on the South Fraser Perimeter Road have to go to 176th Street and double back to cross the Port Mann Bridge, as there's no closer connection.
"The look came back, and for the first time we heard from them it was a doable connection, whereas before we continued to hear the grades were too steep, that it couldn't be done. It wasn't until I found the report from the late ‘90s and took that to them that they then stopped saying it couldn't be done, and then they did this further report that actually showed the three options and costed them out. I believe they are between $250 and $400 million," he said. "How that can be misleading is beyond me."
Jim Lowrie, the city of New Westminster's director of engineering, said the province commissioned the Delcan report.
"It was in response to our request that they investigate the feasibility of constructing that connection," he said. "The key finding, which is very interesting, the key finding is that it is feasible to construct the connection. Previously, the ministry and TransLink have said that is not even possible. That's a pretty key finding. In fact, the report provides three or four different alternatives for connecting South Fraser to Highway 1 at Port Mann."
Lowrie said the report is currently in a draft form and won't be finalized until more concrete plans are in place for the Pattullo Bridge replacement, including whether it is four or six lanes.
"That impacts the role the Pattullo will play, and what role South Fraser Perimeter Road will play and what other highways the South Fraser Perimeter Road will be connected to," he said. "That is something that still has to be reviewed very closely, whether or not South Fraser Perimeter Road will be connected to Pattullo Bridge. If it's not connected directly to Pattullo Bridge, it would seem to make sense to connect South Fraser Perimeter Road directly to Highway 1."
While New Westminster doesn't support a direct connection from South Fraser Perimeter Road to the Pattullo Bridge, it does support a better connection to Highway 1.
"It is connecting two provincial highways," Lowrie said. "Our view is that it is a missing link in the provincial highway system."
The Delcan report, a draft report completed in October 2013, states that providing a connection between South Fraser Perimeter Road and Highway 1 at the Port Mann Bridge involves high implementation costs, significant community impacts and only results in minor diversion from the Pattullo Bridge. The report goes on to say that the “low benefit cost ratio of 0.25 indicates that the proposed connection would yield no value to the region.”
