Construction is beginning this week to make the intersection at Harris Road and Lougheed Highway in Pitt Meadows safer.
The eastbound right turn lane along Lougheed Highway onto Harris Road will be extended by 300 metres.
This will create a continuous auxiliary lane between Allen Way and Harris Rd. that will allow commercial vehicles to enter onto the highway from Allen Way at the CPR Intermodal Yard with enough distance to increase speed and merge with highway traffic.
“This is a much-needed improvement to this busy intersection, which gets backed up in peak periods, and also has a lot of industrial vehicles coming from the nearby intermodal yard,” said Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena.
“The longer right turn lane will solve this issue by keeping people moving, and giving commercial drivers the proper distance they need to speed up and safely get onto the highway.”
The upgrade project was initially announced by the federal and the former provincial Liberal government in March 2017 to make improvements to Lougheed Highway from Pitt Meadows to Mission, including the Haney Bypass.
The improvements in Pitt Meadows are expected to eliminate the queue of turning vehicles blocking the through lanes at the intersection and making it safer and easier for industrial vehicles coming from the CP Rail intermodal yard to accelerate and merge with traffic and to make it easier for commercial vehicles to get up to highway speeds and safely merge onto the highway.
City of Pitt Meadows Mayor John Becker said that even though there are more significant improvements he is advocating for with larger dollar figures attached to them, “this one is in the bag and it’s great to see it starting.”
“It’s going to open up Harris Road which is a very congested corner. It will allow people to move off the highways and allow for a freer flow east west for us. I’ll take any kind of improvement,” he said.
“Pitt Meadows’ Highway 7 Corridor and Harris Road intersection has been a long-standing local concern, but thanks to this federal funding, we can look forward to smoother commutes that ensure our community remains safe and accessible as it continues to grow,” said MP Dan Ruimy (Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge).
Eurovia British Columbia Inc. of Surrey was awarded the $1.7-million contract for the construction.
The cost of the project is $6.2 million, and is part of the Highway 7 safety and capacity enhancements through Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and Mission.
The total funding of $70 million is cost-shared, with the Government of Canada contributing up to $22.45 million, and the province supplying the remaining $47.55 million.
Lane closures will be restricted to 7 p.m. to 11 a.m. in the eastbound direction, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for westbound traffic during construction which is expected to be completed in the fall of this year.