22 February 2009
Pitt Train Overpass Not an Option, Says Report
Maple Ridge British Columbia - Maple
Ridge-Pitt Meadows MLA Michael Sather recently told the B.C. Legislature that Pitt Meadows residents have been asking for
an overpass over the CP Rail tracks on Harris Road for years, but the city staff confirm this is not a serious option for downtown
Pitt Meadows.
"(Pitt Meadows' residents') safety is constantly in jeopardy due to long, slow-moving freight trains that cut off
their access to ambulance services and Ridge Meadows Hospital," Sather stated in legislature on Monday, 9 Feb 2009.
The Pitt Meadows official community plan states that a "grade separated crossing" - an overpass or underpass - is not
supported because of the impact it would have on the "surrounding land use, on the visual character of the Harris Road area, and
on the use of Harris Road as a short-cut for commuters."
In 2005, when the city did a preliminary study into building an overpass or underpass, the capital expenditure was estimated at $15
million, which didn't include land acquisition. The overpass would have an impact on properties between 124th and 122A Avenues. Not
only would land have to be acquired, but businesses whose front access was lost without the possibility of a rear entrance would have
to be bought out, for example, the Consumers' Co-op.
Pitt Meadows Mayor Don MacLean said an overpass is under consideration for Harris Road.
"I've sat on seven councils and every single council has investigated it and found it much too costly," MacLean said.
"And it would really ruin our main road."
He added that when the Golden Ears Bridge opens, alternative access routes will be available to Pitt Meadows residents.
When the memorandum of understanding for the Golden Ears Bridge was signed, he said, Pitt Meadows insisted that Maple Meadows Way
include a grade-separation over the tracks to ensure emergency vehicles had access to the hospital.
According to Kim Grout, director of operations at the city, an underpass would not be an option because CP Rail would require the
current tracks to be moved while excavation occurred, which would mean the city would have to buy several kilometres of property
either on the north or south side of the tracks to temporarily move the tracks.
Construction of an overpass would take about eight to 10 months to build, and the result would be a six to nine percent grade for
pedestrians and cyclists.
"The closure of Harris Road alone is a huge concern given the impact this would have on the West Coast Express service and
emergency response for months," said Grout.
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