The completion of three important Asia-Pacific Gateway projects along the Roberts Bank Rail Corridor (RBRC): Lower Mainland overpasses at 54th Ave, 196th St. and 232nd St. Langley-Surrey border, British Columbia – Transport Canada, was celebrated last week by federal and local partners, the Port said in a press release.
Mark Warawa, Member of Parliament for Langley, B.C., represented the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, and was joined by other partners who contributed to the project, including B.C. Education Minister and MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood Peter Fassbender; Robin Silvester, President and CEO of Port Metro Vancouver; Councillor Mary Martin on behalf of Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts; Acting Mayor Ted Schaffer of the City of Langley; and Acting Mayor Bev Dornan on behalf of Mayor Jack Froese of the Township of Langley, along with other RBRC project stakeholders.
Construction has finished on three road/rail overpasses at 54th Avenue, 196th Street, and 232nd Street, which will help to ease traffic congestion through the City of Surrey, the City of Langley and the Township of Langley. The project will also improve road safety, and increase the rail capacity of the Asia-Pacific Gateway.
The overpasses will improve the flow of traffic and shipments through the Roberts Bank Rail Corridor, increase trade with the Asia-Pacific region and enhance the security and environmental sustainability of the transportation system, as well as the quality of life of neighboring residents.
These Robert's Bank Rail Corridor projects have been made possible through the collaboration of multiple partners including the Government of Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative, the Province of British Columbia, Port Metro Vancouver, Canadian Pacific Railway, the City of Surrey, the City of Langley and the Township of Langley.
Construction of the three road/rail overpasses at 54th Avenue, 196th Street, and 232nd Street began in 2012 and was completed on time and within budget.
The total cost of these three projects is approximately $110.4 million with a federal government contribution of $30.2 million under the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Transportation Infrastructure Fund. This is part of the Asia Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative (APGCI) and focuses on infrastructure projects.
The APGCI aims to make Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway the best transportation network for facilitating global supply chains between North America and Asia. To date, the Government of Canada has invested approximately $1.4 billion in APGCI infrastructure projects, in partnership with all four western provinces, municipalities and the private sector, for a total project value of approximately $3.5 billion.
The Roberts Bank Rail Corridor Program includes nine road and rail improvement projects, funded by an unprecedented partnership between 12 agencies representing local, regional, provincial, and federal governments as well as the private sector.
Total funding for the nine RBRC projects is $307 million with a federal contribution of $75 million.
The 70-kilometre RBRC connects Deltaport Terminal at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, with North America’s entire rail network.
To date, five of a total nine RBRC projects have been completed.
The overpasses at 54th Avenue and 196th Street are part of a larger “Combo Project” designed to improve traffic circulation at rail crossings in a particularly congested section of the City of Langley. The final component of this project, a railway overpass at 192nd street, is scheduled for completion later in 2014.