FortisBC will make several traffic and safety improvements along Highway 99 and Mamquam Forest Service Road as part of its Eagle Mountain–Woodfibre Gas Pipeline.
The upgrades are outlined in a newly accepted Traffic Management Strategy, and must be completed before Fortis’s laydown yard — a temporary construction support site near Valleycliffe — becomes operational in late May or early June.
Fortis is working with the Ministry of Transportation and Transit to secure permits for the planned changes, which include:
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A digital speed reader board for northbound Highway 99 traffic
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A marked crosswalk with flashing beacons near the intersection
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Curbing to replace painted parking lines
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Advanced warning signs and turn-lane markings
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Signage and rules prohibiting westbound left turns from Mamquam FSR onto the highway
“These upgrades are designed to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety around a busy corridor that will see increased traffic from the construction project,” District staff note in a report. The council will discuss the issue in a Committee of the Whole report today.
In addition to the highway changes, Fortis will enforce reduced speed limits for project vehicles, install pedestrian crossings near Cherry Drive, and post advance signage at trail crossings. A Traffic Control Supervisor will monitor the area to avoid long delays, with road closures lifted if wait times exceed 20 minutes. Some heavy equipment will be delivered by barge to reduce highway impacts, staff report notes.
Council approved a Temporary Use Permit for the laydown yard in September 2024, contingent on conditions including a finalized traffic plan and decommissioning strategy. Those requirements have now been met, and Fortis has also provided a voluntary $250,000 community benefit. The company has scaled back its original plans, eliminating some temporary structures and preserving a 2.5-acre tree buffer to reduce neighbourhood impact.
