12 kilometres, two years and 300 trees: a look at next year’s water main project

As the region gets thirstier, the infrastructure gets more extensive.

About two kilometres of the region’s new water main is set to be tunneled under downtown Coquitlam, necessitating single-lane traffic along segments of Pipeline Road from Robson Drive to El Casa Court.

With a tentative cost of $110-million, the two-year construction period is tentatively slated to start in the fall of 2022.

The project stretches over 12 kilometres between the north end of Pipeline Road to Mariner Way at Riverview Crescent.

300 trees to be lost

The project involves chopping down 300 trees on Pipeline Road to facilitate both the water main project and Coquitlam’s plan to widen the road following the project’s completion.

“Efforts were made to consider relocating large trees, however this was not possible because of limitations to transportation, storage, and cost,” according to a release from Metro Vancouver.

Coquitlam and Metro Vancouver are working on a “landscape restoration plan” that involves planting more trees than are removed, according to the release.

Detours: Access to Trevor Wingrove Way west of Pipeline will be restricted for about four to six weeks for construction.

The 3.2-metre diameter pipe is slated to be stored in the gravel parking area between Inspiration Garden and the tennis courts, meaning the planters will need to be moved.

Noise: While the plan emphasizes avoiding working on Sundays and statutory holidays and keeping the noise down before 8 a.m. there may be exceptions when the project crosses major intersections as well as “during time-sensitive construction activities.”

To learn more or to submit your comments on the project before Nov. 12, click here.