Port authority invites Pitt Meadows community to help shape the future of Harris Road

June 24, 2022

Starting Tuesday, June 28, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority invites people who live, work in, or travel to Pitt Meadows to participate in an engagement process that will help inform the design of the Harris Road underpass, part of the Pitt Meadows Road and Rail Improvements Project.  

If construction moves forward, the existing level crossing at Harris Road, one of Canada’s highest risk rail crossings, will be replaced with an underpass. Not only would this provide safer and faster commutes, and better emergency response options by separating road and rail traffic, it would also bring meaningful and lasting benefits through improvements to active transportation and public amenities.  

The port authority is leading the project and engagement process in partnership with the City of Pitt Meadows and CP. Since the three parties signed a project partnering agreement in December 2021 for the underpass, technical and design work has been underway. A future additional agreement would need to be signed between project partners in order for construction of the underpass to proceed. 

Opinion research undertaken in summer 2021 demonstrated that 75% of the community support the project, with 56% strongly supporting the Harris Road underpass.  

This engagement marks the port authority’s return to in-person events with the community since the onset of the pandemic. As part of this phase of engagement, the port authority will share:  

  • A draft design for the Harris Road underpass  
  • An update on the future heritage site 
  • An update on noise and vibration mitigation 

From June 28 to July 19, 2022, you can help shape the future of Harris Road by:  

  • Attending the Pitt Meadows Engagement and Priorities Committee meeting on June 28 at 7:00 p.m.
    • Learn more at pittmeadows.ca/councilmeeting 
  • Attending an in-person open house:
    • June 29, 2022 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Pitt Meadows Family Recreation Centre 
    • July 13, 2022 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the South Bonson Community Centre 
  • Reading the discussion guide and submitting the questionnaire by July 19 at portvancouver.com/pittmeadowsengagement 
  • Emailing project questions to [email protected]

The port authority will summarize the feedback received during this phase of engagement and share it with the community later in summer or fall 2022. We will then share a final design for the Harris Road underpass in early 2023.  

For more information about the project and public engagement opportunities, visit portvancouver.com/pittmeadowsengagement.

Past project engagement
Since the port authority began the engagement process for the Pitt Meadows Road and Rail Improvements Project in 2018, project partners – the City of Pitt Meadows and CP – have gathered valued feedback from key stakeholders and the community. Summaries of previous phases of engagement are available at portvancouver.com/pittmeadowsengagement:   

  • 2021 – Update – New alignment of the Harris Road underpass, heritage building relocations, ongoing work on noise and vibration mitigation, and opinion research 
  • 2021 – Update – CP rail configuration and noise and vibration study  
  • 2020 – Engagement – Kennedy Road underpass  
  • 2019 – Engagement – Listen and learn  
  • 2018 – The Future of Transportation in Pitt Meadows   

Background
As a Canada port authority, we are leading a number of projects throughout the Lower Mainland to help enhance the movement of trade-related cargo while improving mobility and safety, protecting the environment, and alleviating the community impacts of this growing trade. 

This project is funded by the port authority, CP, and the Government of Canada through the National Trade Corridors Fund.