Three options are being considered to reduce gridlock along the Brunette Avenue corridor between Coquitlam and New Westminster, and one includes a tunnel under railway tracks and the Brunette River that would replace the the railroad and bailey bridge crossing between the cities.
For years, the Brunette interchange and the connection from United Boulevard through the Braid industrial area have been considered a transportation headache because of gridlock along Brunette Avenue between Coquitlam and New Westminster via the overpass over Highway 1 and over the bailey bridge.
Complaints have been made for years that gridlock hampers Tri-City residents from getting to Royal Columbian Hospital and the decision to improve the corridor was made in part to deal with concerns about emergency vehicles getting to the regional trauma centre.
According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the goal of the interchange improvements is to reduce congestion and improve safety in a corridor that sees 60,000 cars and trucks every day.
The initiative is part of BC on the Move, the province's 10-year transportation plan, and both Coquitlam and New Westminster have been consulted as part of the Brunette interchange project. No dollar figure is being announced for the upgrade options until the open house, and Janelle Erwin, regional deputy director for the south coast region, said each of the options provides different benefits, which the public will be able to compare at the open house.
Graphics showing the options weren't available by The Tri-City News' print deadline because the ministry is waiting until an open house next Wednesday in Coquitlam to reveal them to the public. They will be available online after that.
The three options are as follows:
• Option A — Brunette interchange with separate municipal connections and United Boulevard connection: The main crossing of Highway 1 would separated into two corridors: a two-lane corridor for local traffic and a four-lane corridor for regional and provincial traffic.
• Option B — Blue Mountain Interchange with United connection: This option extends Blue Mountain Street over Highway 1 to United and the interchange becomes the main access to Highway 1.
• Option C — Blue Mountain interchange with Braid industrial area connector: The direct connection between United and Brunette (over bailey bridges and railway tracks) would be replaced by a two-lane connection from Blue Mountain to Columbia Street via a new connector, with a two lane tunnel under the rail lines and the Brunette River.
The open house will take place Nov. 2 at Maillard middle school, 1300 Rochester Ave., Coquitlam from 5 to 8 p.m. A second open house takes place in New Westminster the next day, with a third open house in early December, although no date has been set.
A public engagement page on the government's website has also been established at engage.gov.bc.ca/brunetteinterchange.
