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New Centennial Road overpass open to port traffic

Overpass marks key milestone in the Centerm Expansion Project and South Shore Access Project 

Vancouver, B.C.: The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is celebrating the opening of the Centennial Road overpass on Vancouver’s south shore. The opening of the new overpass, part of the South Shore Access Project marks an important project milestone and significant improvement in the movement of goods to and from the Port of Vancouver to support Canada’s growth in trade. Construction began in the summer of 2019. 

On July 4, at 9:00 a.m. the Centennial Road overpass opened to container truck traffic in both directions. Coinciding with the opening of the new overpass, additional changes to traffic patterns on port roads have also been implemented. The Heatley Avenue overpass will temporarily remain open to inbound passenger vehicle traffic only with valid port passes (passenger vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists), and closed to all outbound traffic until early August 2021. The Heatley Avenue overpass will permanently close for demolition as early as August 1, 2021.  

Residents and businesses along Hastings Street, Powell Street, Dundas Street, Nanaimo Street, and McGill Street will notice a decrease in container truck traffic on city streets, as the Heatley Avenue overpass will be closed for outbound traffic. 

“We are incredibly proud to announce the opening of the Centennial Road overpass, constructed by our design builder CXP. This marks an important milestone to improve the movement of goods in the Pacific gateway to support Canada’s growing trade,” said Cliff Stewart, vice president infrastructure at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “The collaborative efforts between government and industry help to ensure Canada remains competitive on the world stage for years to come.”

The Centerm Expansion Project, being delivered concurrent with the South Shore Access Project, includes expansion of and improvements to the Centerm container terminal to help meet anticipated near-term demand for containers to be shipped through Vancouver. The projects are contained to port land on the south shore of Burrard Inlet, and include: 

• Construction of a new overpass on Centennial Road to bypass rail tracks thereby reducing both rail and road congestion 
• Changes to Waterfront Road creating a continuous port road from Canada Place to Highway 1 

• Removal of the Heatley Avenue overpass 
• Reconfiguration and expansion of the Centerm container terminal. Once complete, the terminal will be able to accommodate a 60% increase in containers by having added only 15% more land 

Benefits of this project include increased efficiency of goods moving by road and rail, and a positive outcome for the community as there will be less trucks on city streets with the closure of the Heatley Avenue overpass.

For more information on these projects, visit portvancouver.com/Centerm-expansion.  

Media contact:  
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About the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and the Port of Vancouver   

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency responsible for the stewardship of the Port of Vancouver. Like all Canada Port Authorities, we are accountable to the federal minister of transport, and operate pursuant to the Canada Marine Act with a mandate to enable Canada’s trade through the Port of Vancouver, while protecting the environment and considering local communities. The port authority is structured as a non-share corporation, is financially self-sufficient and does not rely on tax dollars for operations. Our revenues come from port terminals and tenants who lease port lands, and from port users who pay various fees such as harbour dues. Profits are reinvested in port infrastructure. The port authority has control over the use of port land and water, which includes more than 16,000 hectares of water, over 1,500 hectares of land, and approximately 350 kilometres of shoreline. Located on the southwest coast of British Columbia in Canada, the Port of Vancouver extends from Roberts Bank and the Fraser River up to and including Burrard Inlet, bordering 16 municipalities and intersecting the traditional territories and treaty lands of several Coast Salish First Nations. The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port, and the third largest in North America by tonnes of cargo. Enabling the trade of approximately $240 billion in goods with more than 170 countries, port activities sustain 115,300 jobs, $7 billion in wages, and $11.9 billion in GDP across Canada.  

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