Posted Jul 7, 2010, 11:01 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Port Coquitlam, BC
Posts: 2,816
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Evergreen coming: Black
Quote:
The search is on for someone to build the Evergreen Line so Tri-City residents will soon know who will be laying track and boring the tunnel for the long-awaited transportation project.
This week’s issuing of a request for qualifications is a clear signal that the project will be built on time, says Labour and Citizens’ Services Minister Iain Black, noting the scheduled opening date is late in 2014, one month off a schedule set more than two years ago.
Black also said anyone who still doubts progress is being made on the Evergreen Line hasn’t been paying attention, noting that engineers have been busy on the project for months and the public is currently engaged in a consultation process for environmental assessment certification.
While TransLink doesn’t have its $400-million share of the $1.4-billion project, that shortfall is not a deal-breaker, he said, because $827 million has already been put up by the provincial and federal governments, enough to get work underway in early 2011.
Still, he acknowledged TransLink’s funding issues are serious and said the Ministry of Transportation is “looking for ways to help them fulfill their obligation.”
The Port Moody-Westwood MLA is also bullish about the economic benefits that will accrue to the Tri-Cities once construction is underway. Some 8,000 jobs will be created by the investment, he said, many of them local because contractors typically hire locally for many of their sub-trades.
“You’ve seen that very consistent with all the major projects,” Black said, citing the Sea-to-Sky Highway and the Kicking Horse Canyon projects, in which B.C. companies were awarded significant contracts, including a $27.2-million contract to a Hope construction firm that is building the west portal section of the highway east of Golden.
He said the ministry will likely be looking for an experienced contractor for the public-private partnership (P3), a company with the financial muscle to be able to assume responsibility for certain risks, such as labour costs and volatile interest rates. The RFQ closes Sept. 7 and the ministry will chose three respondent teams, which will be whittled down to one in the competitive selection process.
The RFQ states the private partners have to be willing to design, build and finance the project, and Black said the province prefers P3s because they tend to deliver projects that are on time and on budget.
“It provides incentive to the general contractor to deliver their project on time and on budget because there’s very little wriggle room to go over,” Black said.
Once it’s completed, Black said, the Evergreen Line will deliver other benefits in addition to providing a 13-minute ride from Coquitlam Centre to Lougheed Mall. Spin-off benefits include increased development to support the new transportation infrastructure. Black predicted land along the line will eventually support new highrises and amenities, particularly in areas such as Burquitlam.
But he wouldn’t go as far to push for third stations in Coquitlam and Port Moody, which he said will have to be justified based on density and the ability of development to cover the cost of the stations because the province won’t be paying for them.
“There’s not another $22 million lying around to build another station,” he said.
In Port Moody, the city has supported the idea of a third station near Queens Street, and a citizens’ group wants one further west. In Coquitlam, a third station near Lincoln Avenue has been proposed.
In each case, Black said, the ministry has indicated a willingness to build the track to accommodate a future third station for each city. But those stations won’t likely be built until they can be justified by density and development dollars.
“The provisions have been put in place for each city to determine its own destiny on this matter,” he said.
As for the contentious Murray-Clark Connector, Black confirmed that the Evergreen Line will be built to accommodate a future connector when funding becomes available.
PoMo is currently in a legal wrangling with TransLink over the road, which is long-planned but unfunded. Black said the province won’t be stepping in to pay for the connector.
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http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/tricitynews/news/Evergreen_coming_Black.html
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