One of Burnaby’s busiest intersections will see a protest today (Wednesday) against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.
A banner will be dropped at 4 p.m. today at the intersection of Lougheed Highway and Gaglardi Way.
Last week, Climate Convergence held a large banner drop at the foot of Burnaby Mountain to alert the community that Trans Mountain is starting to drill a massive 2.6-km. tunnel through Burnaby Mountain.
“This Wednesday we are continuing the campaign on the other side of the Mountain, and inviting community members to help keep up the pressure and continue to build resistance to this reckless pipeline tunnel, which endangers the tens of thousands of Simon Fraser University students and surrounding residents,” said a news release.
The Trans Mountain tunnel project between the Burnaby Mountain and Westridge terminals will take 200 days to complete.
Here are some other details:
- The tunnel will be buried up to 130 metres below the surface and requires no cleared right-of-way or surface disruption along its route.
- To prepare for the tunnel boring machine, crews constructed two retaining walls, one at each terminal.
- Tunnel boring will begin at Westridge Marine Terminal where the retaining wall was built using 100 concrete piles.
- This wall is approximately 70 metres long and 20 metres tall.
- A similar wall has been built at Burnaby Terminal and is 13 metres long and 17 metres tall.
- The tunnel boring machine is 122 metres in length when fully assembled – about the same length as a soccer field.
- In total, 40,000 cubic metres of soil will be excavated during the tunnelling, which could fill up 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
