Transit guideway under construction shifts but incident not catastrophic: mayor

Elevate your local knowledge

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

COQUITLAM, B.C. – Engineers are working to realign a section of elevated transit guideway under construction in Coquitlam, B.C., after it shifted early Friday morning.

The guideway is part of the track for the $1.4-billion Evergreen Line rapid transit project connecting Metro Vancouver’s northeast with the rest of the SkyTrain system.

Residents in an area near the Burnaby-Coquitlam boundary reported hearing a loud bang at about 1:30 a.m. on Friday.

A large gap was clearly visible between two sections of the guideway spanning a busy commuter route, but Mayor Richard Stewart says the incident is not catastrophic.

He says the recently-placed guideway is resting on temporary supports and one corner support collapsed, causing the long, concrete section to tilt, but he believes the problem should be resolved when the support is replaced.

Traffic on Como Lake Road, which runs under the guideway was expected to remain blocked during repairs, but no one was hurt when the huge beam shifted. (Global)

News from © The Canadian Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.