Port Metro Vancouver on Oct. 24 celebrated the completion of
the new Roberts Bank Causeway Overpass, a major infrastructure project that is
expected to improve container handling capacity at Canada’s largest container
terminal.
The project is expected to improve the efficiency of the
Roberts Bank Rail Corridor, which serves the Deltaport Container Terminal in
Delta, British Columbia. Deltaport handles 50 percent of the containerized
cargo that moves through Canada’s West Coast.
The overpass, which is also expected to increase rail
capacity and enhance the safety and fluidity of traffic to and from the
terminal, involved the construction of a two-lane overpass to provide grade
separation between rail tracks and the Roberts Bank Causeway access road
adjacent to the terminal.
The separation of road and rail traffic will improve safety
for transportation operators involved in the movement of goods for
international trade, according to the port, and also significantly improve the
fluidity of inbound and outbound containers, plus contribute to additional
capacity at the terminal, roughly 150,000 to 200,000 new 20-foot equivalent
units annually.
The overpass project, which began construction in early 2013,
is an element of the Deltaport Terminal Road and Rail Improvement Project, a
plan developed by the port to reduce delays and inefficiencies in rail and
truck operations and to increase cargo-handling capacity at Deltaport.
“The Deltaport Terminal, Road and Rail Improvement Project
at Roberts Bank is increasing the efficiency of the Deltaport terminal so that
it can better handle growing demand for container trade to and from Asia,” Port
Metro Vancouver President & CEO Robin Silvester explained. “This portion of
the project is eliminating delays and congestion for truckers and increasing
rail capacity by providing a roadway over rail lines on the Roberts Bank
causeway.”
The total cost of the project was $44.7 million: Port Metro
Vancouver contributed $24.8 million, while the federal government pitched in
$19.9 million.
