The Province is investing $5 million to build 150 new parking spaces for the Evergreen Line Project, which will now open before Christmas, Port Moody-Coquitlam MLA Linda Reimer announced today on behalf of Todd Stone, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

The Province has worked closely with the City of Coquitlam to develop a plan and location for 150 additional parking spaces, to be built at the Lafarge Lake-Douglas Station, where the Evergreen Line ends.

(flickr.com)

“The Evergreen Line Project is over 90% complete and as we get closer to opening day, we want to make it as easy as possible for people to get out of their cars and use public transit like the Evergreen extension,” said Stone. “This extra parking project will be the final construction milestone to be reached and I’d like to thank the thousands of people involved in the construction of the Evergreen Line Project for their hard work as they move this vital transportation project closer to completion.”

Finishing work continues at all Evergreen Line stations and the construction of the station plazas are nearing completion. The exact date for welcoming the public to the Evergreen Line will be determined in the coming months.

“The opening of the Evergreen Line will provide British Columbians with yet another more efficient and sustainable travel option in the Metro Vancouver region on what will be the longest fully-automated rapid transit system in the world,” said Minister of Community Sport and Cultural Development Peter Fassbender. “This milestone achievement is to be celebrated not only for the transportation needs it meets but also for providing the necessary support to enable the growth of affordable, interconnected and sustainable communities in the region.”

The 150 new spaces available for transit users at the Lafarge Lake-Douglas Station are fully funded within the project’s $1.43 billion budget and are on top of the 500 parking spaces outlined in the project’s scope. The ability to invest $5 million into additional parking demonstrates strong fiscal management of the Evergreen Line Project. These 500 spaces include 85 new parking stalls at Moody Centre Station and 415 parking stalls at Coquitlam Central Station. This brings the total number of new parking spaces that will serve Evergreen to 650.

“The Evergreen Line will make life more convenient for thousands of residents in the Tri-Cities area, and it is a project I have been personally invested in for years,” said Linda Reimer, MLA for Port Moody-Coquitlam. “I am so proud that it is now on the verge of completion and I look forward to seeing it up and running before Christmas.”

The City of Coquitlam will build and manage the parking expansion. Site preparation has started with construction work starting in the next few weeks. The new lot is expected to be open to commuters by the end of the year.

“The impending arrival of the Evergreen Line is another positive step in providing more commuting options to Coquitlam’s residents, visitors, and businesses,” said Mayor Richard Stewart. “And these additional parking spots will especially help those commuters who also have to drop off children or complete other errands before or after their daily commute. We look forward to continuing to work with TransLink to ensure transit services are expanded and integrated into our growing community in a way that maximizes transportation choices for all.”

Once the province finishes construction, TransLink will assume responsibility for operations to ensure that people can travel by public transit where they need to go. TransLink will also adjust their bus service schedules to better serve and connect people to the Evergreen Extension after opening day. To inform these changes, TransLink went through a comprehensive consultation process on proposed bus routes across the region; approximately a third of these routes were in the Northeast sector aimed at better integration with the Evergreen extension. TransLink will provide customers with details on service changes well in advance of implementation to ensure a seamless transition.

“The opening of the Evergreen Extension will be a major milestone in TransLink’s history and we are getting ready behind the scenes to help ensure a seamless transition for our customers,” says Kevin Desmond, TransLink CEO. “Residents in Coquitlam and Port Moody are now much closer to having a direct rapid transit route to Vancouver.”

Major construction work on the $1.43 billion Evergreen Line Project began in February 2013 with the expectation of being operational in summer 2016. The tunnel boring was the most complex phase of the project and in 2015, some challenges associated with this work had set the project behind schedule, adjusting the project completion to early 2017. The project team, contractor and hundreds of construction workers have worked around the clock to have the new line up and running as early as possible – now scheduled to open before Christmas.

The Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia and TransLink are proud partners in the $1.43 billion Evergreen Line Project. The 11 kilometre line will link Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam to Vancouver and will be fully integrated into the existing SkyTrain system at Lougheed Town Centre Station.

Learn More:

The Evergreen Line Project: www.evergreenline.gov.bc.ca

Information in other languages is available at: www.evergreenline.gov.bc.ca/languages.htm

Twitter: @TranBC #EvergreenlineBC

Facebook: www.facebook.com/evergreenline

For photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tranbc/sets/72157632226282626

A backgrounder follows.