Terrace may soon see a second overpass over the railway tracks that cut across the middle of the Northwest city. The Terrace Standard has the story of a 4.2 million dollar grant from the federal government to go towards a second overpass in the city.
CN is expected to contribute funds as well for the project which could be completed within three years.
The onset of container trains running from Prince Rupert to Prince George means more traffic running through Terrace, spurring the plans for a second overpass to alleviate traffic congestion in the city.
Feds buck up for second overpass
By SARAH ARTIS
Jul 25 2007
WITH A federal announcement of $4.25 million and more money coming from CN, Terrace may have a second overpass in the next three years.
A Western Economic Diversification press release explains, “In order to fully realize the design capacity of Prince Rupert’s new container terminal, scheduled to open this fall, sidings along this rail corridor are being lengthened to accommodate trains up to 12,000 feet long. As part of this capacity, a grade separation is required to accommodate this length of train at Terrace.”
A grade separation is any structure that allows traffic to pass over or under a highway or railroad tracks.
The Federal Ministry of Natural Resources Gary Lunn announced the contribution July 18. It is part of an $80-million initiative to manage the long-term impacts of the mountain pine beetle, which has affected the forest industry in B.C.
The government dedicated $44 million of that total to Transport Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative and the first $12 million of that has been divided between Terrace, Smithers and Ashcroft for grade separations.
Terrace is set to receive $4.25 million, Smithers $2.75 million and Ashcroft $5 million.
Canadian National Railway will also cost share the projects in the Northwest, being the one who applied for money in the first place, while Canadian Pacific Railway will cost share the projects in Ashcroft.
CN representative Kelli Svendsen said by email that her company is pleased with the commitment of the federal government to fund a portion of the overpasses.
“This will allow CN to finalize funding agreements with the remaining levels of government (provincial and municipal),” she said.
“Assuming that such agreements can be reached, CN will be in a position to construct the siding extensions in 2008 to aid in the efficient service of the container port in Prince Rupert,” she added.
Terrace Mayor Jack Talstra said the news is good for the city but nothing has yet been fully decided.
“It’s just a question of if we can afford it,” he said. “At this point we cannot tell if that is sufficient funding whether we want to cost share or what,” he said.
The federal government lists the total project cost to build a second overpass in Terrace at $9 million.
A team of city staff has been assigned to the issue and Talstra said their discussions with CN and Transport Canada have recently become more serious and more frequent.
“The next step is to continue the dialogue and come up with a resolution that is satisfactory to everybody,” he said.
Various business and community groups have been pushing for a second overpass here for years.
Terrace now has two road railway crossings – one at Frank Street and the other at Kenney Street.
An overpass in either location would ease traffic flow by allowing cars to travel over the tracks despite trains passing through.
The best location for a new one here is still under discussion.
After the completion of the Prince Rupert port expansion, train traffic here is expected to increase significantly, making the construction of a second overpass here even more desirable.
Now six trains on average pass through Terrace daily, each at most 8,500 feet long.
Once the port is finished, two more trains a day, up to 12,000-feet long, are expected.
Other work CN is doing in the region to accommodate the increase in traffic includes raising the clearance of six tunnels between here and Prince Rupert to fit double-stacked trains.
Svendsen said the work will be complete in time for the opening of the higher-capacity port in October of this year.
CN is investing a total of $350 million on track infrastructure in Western Canada to take advantage of growth prospects.
An above-average snow pack in B.C. this year and the possibility of heavy run-off also has the company monitoring for potential problem spots west of Terrace.
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