The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has announced the completion and opening of the newly upgraded Mountain Highway underpass on Vancouver’s North Shore.
The project was led by the port authority in collaboration with Western Stevedoring and the District of North Vancouver and aims to enhance the movement of trade-related cargo through Greater Vancouver, while improving mobility and safety, protecting the environment, and alleviating the community impacts of growing trade.
The completion of this project directly links into the port authority’s federal mandate to enable Canada’s trade through the Port of Vancouver.
Benefits of the project include:
- Better trade efficiency for the gateway: enabling the trade gateway to operate more efficiently and handle anticipated trade growth due to collaboration with government and port terminal partners.
- Port of entry capacity at Lynnterm Terminal for oversized cargo: the terminal’s new capacity to service oversized cargo allows the port to manage increasing sizes of cargo.
- Safe pedestrian access: new sidewalks, both along the underpass and between Dominion Street and Bay Street, leading into Lynnterm Terminal’s east gate, will ensure safer and more comfortable access and use for pedestrians.
“We are incredibly proud of the upgrades made on the Mountain Highway underpass,” said Jennifer Natland, Acting Vice President for Real Estate at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “Not only will the upgraded underpass allow for significant improvement in the movement of goods to and from the Port of Vancouver to support Canada’s growth in trade, but this is also the first gateway construction project funded by the National Trade Corridors Fund that the port authority has completed.”
“Improvements to the underpass will enable the gateway to operate more efficiently and handle anticipated trade growth through the port for years to come.”
Dave Lucas, President of Western Stevedoring, added “Western Stevedoring thanks the Federal Government, the Port of Vancouver and District of North Vancouver for their support on this important project. With the deepening of the Mountain Highway Underpass, one of the major bottlenecks to the transportation of oversized cargoes has been significantly improved.
“Western Stevedoring is now able to attract and handle oversized cargo for major projects in Western Canada that have previously been imported through US ports due to restrictions in British Columbia such as the Mountain Highway underpass.”
This follows the news that the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority had signed a relationship agreement with the Musqueam Indian Band to create a framework for a long-term relationship between both parties. The agreement was signed on 5 November 2021 and sees both parties work together to uphold the rights of Musqueam and move towards a more productive and collaborative shared future.
