Portside Blundell Road Improvements Envision Strategy Implementation
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
Envisioning streamlined transportation
The growth of trade in Greater Vancouver was the catalyst for the development of the Gateway Transportation Collaboration Forum in 2014. This collaborative effort between Transport Canada the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Vancouver Fraser Porth Authority, TransLink, the Greater Vancouver Gateway Council and the BC Marine Terminal Operators Association developed Greater Vancouver Gateway 2030, a strategy to decrease trade bottlenecks while addressing the local impacts of goods movement and community growth throughout Greater Vancouver.
Renderings of the Portside Blundell Road Improvements Project, Credit: Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
24 projects funded by the National Trade Corridors Fund. Credit: Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
The Portside Blundell Road Improvements Project (“the Project”) is one of the 24 projects funded by the National Trade Corridors Fund and seeks to improve the flow of vehicles, goods, and people at historically congested intersections between rail and motor vehicles in Richmond, BC. The reduction in congestion will help improve containers to and from warehouse and transload facilities and accommodate trade growth through increased capacity to move Canadian products to foreign markets, and foreign products to Canadian consumers. The scope of the Project includes the construction of an overpass connecting Blundell Road and Portside Road; widening of a Blundell Road from two lanes to four lanes; development of a new bridge and extension of Portside Road over the No. 7 Road canal; and a new multi-use pathway along Blundell Road and the south side of Portside Road.
Intent on becoming the world’s most sustainable port, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority chose to use the Envision framework to deliver this project, setting award targets during planning.
In 2020, luuceo was hired as the sustainability lead for the project to facilitate the development of the Project’s roadmap to help meet their organizational goals, including award. As the sustainability consultant, luuceo has been working directly with the owner’s engineer and design team to support the project stay on track with its initial goals.
Successes so far for the project have been:
- Including a multi-use pathway, connecting existing bike networks and promoting alternative modes of transportation.
- Leveraging integrated design to facilitate more sustainable decisions throughout the design process. This process included multi-disciplinary discussions, including VFPA’s O&M and Engagement representatives.
- Establishing and utilizing a sustainability management system to track and report on sustainability goals throughout the project’s life. Improvements to the project were made, allowing for the project to improve their Envision targets and scoring potential for the Project.
What is the Envision™ framework?
Envision™ is a sustainability rating system and planning guide for introducing sustainability considerations into infrastructure projects. Envision™ assesses individual project performance and how effectively a project contributes to the resilience of the community it serves.
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