Construction forces closure of major Metro Vancouver road for four months
An extended closure is in place for a major Metro Vancouver road starting this week, and drivers are being warned of travel delays.
The City of Coquitlam has announced that Dewdney Trunk Road between Cawthra Court and Pier Drive will be fully closed around the clock to all road users starting on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The work is part of the Metro Vancouver Dewdney Trunk Water Main Project to replace aging infrastructure, with the road closure expected to last approximately four months.
Metro Vancouver
“Traffic will be detoured via Mariner Way and Barnet Highway,” announced the City of Coquitlam. “Dewdney Trunk Road between Mariner Way and Barnet Highway will be limited to local traffic only. ”
“Please plan an alternate route to avoid delays or plan extra time.”
Pedestrians will also be impacted, with detours planned via Dolphin Street and Mariner Way.
Currently, Metro Vancouver is in the process of replacing an old water main built in 1950 that has reached the end of its service life.
The new water main will be about 1.6 kilometres long, running along Dewdney Trunk Road between Lougheed Highway and Pier Drive.
“This drinking water infrastructure project will contribute to the long-term prosperity, sustainability and livability of the Metro Vancouver region,” said Joel Melanson, Metro Vancouver’s director of water services engineering design and construction, in a previous email to Daily Hive.
City of Coquitlam
The City also urged travellers to “drive with extreme caution” when passing through the construction zone past the road closure.
“Follow construction speed limits, keep a close watch for work crews and heavy machinery, and obey all construction signage and instructions from traffic personnel.
“Thank you for your patience as Metro Vancouver’s contractor completes this necessary work.”
Metro Vancouver expects the construction of the water main to go into early 2027.
They also plan to start building the Cape Horn Section of the Coquitlam Water Main this fall. It is a 12-kilometre water main, with construction split into four sections.
The Cape Horn Section is about four kilometres long, running from Westwood Street and Dewdney Trunk Road to Hickey Drive and Mariner Way.
The region says they are coordinating both water mains’ construction schedules in an effort to reduce construction impacts on the community.
With files from Hanna Hett