If there is one topic that Burnaby residents definitely worry about, it’s traffic.
I know because I’ve seen how much stories about traffic issues get read. Well, I have a doozy for you.
Commuters know full well what kind of traffic nightmares were caused when FortisBC had to replace its aging gas line through North Burnaby. The company did its best and was a good communicator, but there’s only so much you can do when you have to close roads and lanes on busy roads such as Lougheed Highway.
Now FortisBC is proposing to build a new gas line in Burnaby to replace the one it has attached to the existing Pattullo Bridge that runs between New Westminster and Surrey.
And based on the route supplied, this will spell doom for commuters in a key traffic area – the entrance to Highway 1 from Gaglardi Way.
The proposed new gas line would connect the system in New Westminster and Burnaby, running between the intersections of Broadway and Gaglardi Way, and 16th Avenue and First Street.
The project is expected to include:
- Approximately five kilometres of new gas line, mainly along Gaglardi Way, Cariboo Road and 16th Avenue;
- an underground facility at the intersection of Newcombe Street and 17th Avenue.
According to the map supplied by FortisBC, the route actually starts up at Broadway on Gaglardi. This a major north-south route. I should know, I used to take it nearly every day before the pandemic.
I’ve seen what happens when the RCMP block a lane for truck inspections. It’s like the fall of Rome, only less violent.
Burnaby only has a few entrances to Highway 1 and this is a busy one. Carboo hill is also a major commuter route that only has one lane through most of it. If the last FortisBC project was any indication, then things will get mighty bad for traffic if this project is approved.
I’m not saying it shouldn’t be approved - I'm sure a new gas line is needed - but I felt residents need to have a clear idea of what’s at stake.
To give feedback, the public is invited to take part in virtual information sessions on July 8 and 14. Details of these sessions can be found at the link below.
FortisBC expects to file an application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity with the British Columbia Utilities Commission later this year. If approved, construction is planned for 2022.
Learn more about the project and upcoming engagement opportunities at talkingenergy.ca/pattullogasline.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
