Make or break for Evergreen Line

By Simone Blais - Staff Reporter

Port Moody's mayor believes that 2007 will prove to be the make-it-or-break-it year for the Evergreen Line.

Joe Trasolini said Thursday that looking ahead to the final year of TransLink's three-year plan, which ends next December, the Tri-Cities must remain vigilant in demanding completion of local projects from the regional body.

"We have to keep the Evergreen Line front and centre. It's TransLink's No. 1 priority," he said.

In its 2007 transportation plan, TransLink reports that "revenue sources have been higher than anticipated" throughout the past few years.

With property taxes, transit fare revenues, fuel taxes and other levies, the "higher revenues have created a financial surplus position in 2006 that will be drawn upon over the coming years.

"Capital projects such as the Canada Line, a third SeaBus and the replacement of aging transit vehicles, along with the proposed Evergreen Line, will significantly draw upon this surplus," the plan states.

The lack of funding wiggle room, Trasolini said, might corner TransLink into reconsidering the $400 million set aside for the Evergreen Line.

"There's usually a lot of talk about the extension of the SkyTrain line west to UBC," he said. "Let me tell you: If we don't use that $400 million, there's going to be very willing hens wanting to peck away at it.

"I think this is a very crucial year coming up. It's going to make it or break it."

The three-year plan earmarked projects to start and/or finish between 2005 and 2007.

Trasolini said, for the GVRD as a whole, the past two years of the three-year plan have seen a great deal of progress.

"So far regionwide, I think the three-year plan has been very successful," he said, noting major projects like the Canada Line and the Golden Ears Bridge have made significant progress.

But success in the region may have come at the expense of Tri-Cities traffic backlogs.

"The disappointing part would have to be in our area," Trasolini said.

The Murray-Clarke Connector, listed as project for 2006, was put on hold as the project costs were updated.

"The Murray-Clarke overpass, it took us so long to put it back on the agenda, then it stalled because we only had $25 million committed, and then the cost is in the neighbourhood of double that," Trasolini said. "That's one big disappointment that's hard to accept, but those costs have gone up."

The long-anticipated Evergreen Line also took a hit in July when TransLink directors voted to delay the "in-service date" - when passengers could begin riding the light rail line - to September 2011 from December 2009 in the hopes of curbing the project's escalating costs.

When the Evergreen Line was first approved, the cost was estimated to be $800 million. With rising construction costs and expansion of the line to the David Lam Campus of Douglas College, its price tag is now pegged at $953 million.

A case is now being made to provincial and federal transportation ministers for additional funding, and that's where Trasolini finds hope.

"We have a provincial government and a federal government that are boasting about surpluses," he said. "I'm very optimistic that there's going to be money for Evergreen, optimistic there's going to be money for the Murray-Clarke Connector and the other biggest budget need that we need to continue, if not accelerate: the purchase of buses. We are behind in our bus fleet."

The past two years were not all bad news for the Tri-Cities, however,

Under major road projects listed to complete in 2006, TransLink completed the David Avenue Connector in north Coquitlam this summer, and design work and right-of-way negotiations are underway for the Coast Meridian Overpass in Port Coquitlam.

A bus priority signal at the Coquitlam Station depot is pending finalization of Evergreen Line facilities.

Trasolini also said the provincial review of TransLink's governance, once completed, will bode well for local projects.

"The big cloud over our head with the provincial review _ I see this as a positive step," he said. "I don't know if it was intentional or not, but all of a sudden the provincial government had to start looking at the sustainable funding for TransLink, which, in my opinion, is and will continue to be the biggest challenge.

"The provincial review will probably find out that there's a reason why TransLink, the board, has had these challenges. I don't think there's any other levels of government that are very, very willing to take this monster over and say it's going to be easy to look after." said. "That's one big disappointment that's hard to accept, but those costs have gone up."

The long-anticipated Evergreen Line also took a hit in July when TransLink directors voted to delay the "in-service date" - when passengers could begin riding the light rail line - to September 2011 from December 2009 in the hopes of curbing the project's escalating costs.

When the Evergreen Line was first approved, the cost was estimated to be $800 million. With rising construction costs and expansion of the line to the David Lam Campus of Douglas College, its price tag is now pegged at $953 million.

A case is now being made to provincial and federal transportation ministers for additional funding, and that's where Trasolini finds hope.

"We have a provincial government and a federal government that are boasting about surpluses," he said. "I'm very optimistic that there's going to be money for Evergreen, optimistic there's going to be money for the Murray-Clarke Connector ..."

The past two years were not all bad news for the Tri-Cities, however. TransLink completed the David Avenue Connector in north Coquitlam this summer, and design work and right-of-way negotiations are underway for the Coast Meridian Overpass in PoCo.

A bus priority signal at the Coquitlam Station depot is pending finalization of Evergreen Line facilities.

Trasolini also said the provincial review of Trans-Link's governance could bode well for local projects.

"The big cloud over our head with the provincial review _ I see this as a positive step," he said. "The provincial review will probably find out that there's a reason why TransLink, the board, has had these challenges. I don't think there's any other levels of government that are very, very willing to take this monster over and say it's going to be easy to look after."

published on 12/29/2006