Fairview-Ridley Connector project sees significant progress

A stretch of the new Fairview-Ridley Connector Road currently 
under construction, the Port announced today that
the industrial transit way is 20 per cent complete
(From PRPA)

The dedicated use road that one day will transit containers to and from the Fairview Container Port to Ridley Island has reached a milestone this week, with the Port of Prince Rupert outlining the progress of the much anticipated roadway that is now 20 per cent complete.

In a statement released by the Port today, the scope of the project and the change it will mean for the downtown core of Prince Rupert was shared as well as to offer a glimpse of the kind of volume in trips already in place at Fairview, with even more to come in the future.

The 5-kilometer road between DP World’s Fairview Container Terminal and Ridley Island will eliminate container truck traffic through the community of Prince Rupert by a direct Port Authority owned road, as well as providing a platform for two new rail sidings. 

 The Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor will facilitate a rerouting of container trucks from local transload and customs facilities directly to Fairview Container Terminal. Due to an increase in local export transload operations, the number of trucks transiting Highway 16 through downtown Prince Rupert has grown on average from 50 to 200 trucks per day. 

 When complete, the Connector Corridor will reduce the haul distance from Ridley Island to Fairview Terminal from 20 kilometers down to 5 kilometers. By eliminating downtown container truck traffic, the project will achieve improved vehicle and pedestrian safety, ease traffic congestion, reduce wear on provincial and municipal road infrastructure, and drastically reduce greenhouse gas and local air emissions through the more efficient routing.

Work on a segment of the Fairview-Ridley Connector Road
this view from near the Prince Rupert Grain Terminal
(From PRPA)

The update also makes note of as to how once completed the road will integrate with the development of the Port footprint, including the recently announced plans for development of a logistics park on Ridley Island, just one of a number of plans for the immediate area, including a similar style of logistic project for the Metlakatla Development Corporation.

Today's review of the progress to date also hailed the involvement of local First Nations through a joint venture company called the Coast Tsimshian Northern Contractors Alliance.

The update also makes note of the measures in place towards employee safety and COVID protocols.

It's anticipated that the connector road will be completed and put into service by the Spring of 2021.

More on the project can be reviewed here.

A wider overview of Port development can be found on our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.