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Project Background

Lougheed Highway traffic
The Coast  Meridian Overpass eases traffic on Lougheed Highway and other local roadways.
Prior to the construction of the Coast Meridian Overpass, traffic gridlock had become common on the Lougheed corridor in north Port Coquitlam – a stretch of road that is critical to local traffic, Tri-City traffic and the region's transportation network for moving people and goods.

With development on Burke Mountain and other areas, forecasts showed this situation worsening. According to the City's Master Transportation Plan, traffic movement was expected to be significantly reduced on the Lougheed corridor and Mary Hill Bypass by 2021 if the CMO had not been constructed.

Project history
The project's history dates back decades:

  • Discussions about an overpass crossing the CP Rail yards began as early as 1913.
  • Regional plans in 1980 identified the Coast Meridian alignment, which was included in Port Coquitlam's Official Community Plan in 2000, followed by its 2000 Master Transportation Plan and 2002 Strategic Plan.
  • Development of the overpass concept designs began in 2001.
  • In 2003, the Northeast Sector mayors identified the route as an essential transportation link.
  • TransLink announced funding for the project in 2004. The overpass was one of TransLink's eight major new road priorities in its 2005-2007 plan and was part of TransLink's road network improvements.

Recent developments

  • In October 2006, the City and Canadian Pacific Railway reached agreement to facilitate the construction of the overpass.
  • In December 2006, TransLink and the City finalized the terms of a cost-sharing agreement that will see TransLink provide $60 million of the project cost.
  • In summer 2007, the City of Port Coquitlam conducted a Request for Proposals process to select a contractor to complete the design and construct the Coast Meridian Overpass.
  • In fall 2007, a comprehensive review of the bids determined that SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Pacific) Inc. submitted the lowest qualifying bid.
  • On January 7, 2008, the City of Port Coquitlam awarded the CMO Design-Build contract to SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Pacific) Inc. The City and SLCP signed the contract on January 15, 2008.
  • In March 2008, construction and site preparation activities began for the project.
  • The CMO opened to traffic on March 7, 2010.