May/05

Ports Strategy to attract cruise ships / container traffic

The Port of Prince Rupert is about to get a makeover. Recently, the federal government announced that it plans on investing $30 million into the port. Additionally, the provincial government and CN Rail also committed to matching the $30 million investments.

Said the enthusiastic president and CEO of the Port of Prince Rupert, Don Krusel, "The B.C. government should be applauded for putting their money where their mouth is."

With the investment slated for Prince Rupert, Krusel’s goal is to top two million TEUs (20-foot equivalent container/units) by 2009. And with an expansion like that, the Port of Prince Rupert is on its way to becoming a primary Asia-Pacific gateway.

While this expansion is a key component of the B.C. Ports Strategy, there is much more at stake. The $90 million investment promises to increase trade opportunities, and it has opened up the potential for the West Coast market share of global container shipping to increase from nine to 17 per cent.

As well, more than 50,000 long-term, stable jobs will be created, $2.5 million will be designated for property tax relief and $2.5 million will go towards introducing B.C. as a cruise ship destination in support of further developing the local tourism industry, B.C.’s second largest industry, which brings in a total of $3.39 billion in visitor spending.

By 2020, Canada can expect to see $10 billion in output, $5 billion in gross domestic product, 71,000 jobs, and a 200-300 per cent increase in Asia Pacific container traffic as a result of the Ports Strategy.

Without further infrastructure to keep it afloat, the Ports Strategy would be doomed to sink. The increase in imports and exports coming through B.C.’s ports has and will continue to increase truck traffic. This has been most noticeable on major commuter highways and conjunctions in the Lower Mainland: Highway One, Lougheed Highway and United Boulevard. Truck traffic through Delta and Surrey, already heavy, is also expected to increase.

Traffic congestion currently costs B.C. $1.5 billion annually, and neither the province nor its commuters wish to see it increase further, so the provincial government has slated $400 million in Lower Mainland transportation infrastructure.

The Port Mann Bridge, in conjunction with the B.C. Ports Strategy, will be twinned, allowing for a cycling path across the bridge. Highway One will be widened to extend the commuter lane to Langley. The Maryhill Bypass and Lougheed Highway will also see improved accessibility to Highway One, and the Pitt River Bridge will be rebuilt.

On the South side of the Fraser River, a new four-lane highway will be built to accommodate all areas that are critical for the movement of trucks and goods, such as the Delta Port, the Sunbury, Tilbury and Port Kells Industrial areas, the Surrey Fraser docks, the Fraser River Port Authority, Bridgeview, and CN Intermodel. Highways 10, 11, 15, 91 and 91A will also see upgrades designed to keep traffic flowing.