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Port Mann / Highway 1 Improvements
Cape Horn Interchange Pre-Design Consultation
Information Sheet and Feedback Form
the gateway program
In 2003, the provincial government established the Gateway Program
to address the problem of growing regional congestion and to improve McGill St.
Hastings St.
the movement of people, goods and transit throughout Greater First Ave. Boundary Rd. Port Coquitlam
Vancouver. The Gateway Program is designed to complement other Willingdon Ave.
Grandview Sprott St.
regional road and transit improvements planned or underway. Hwy.
Brunette Ave.
Kensington
Ave. Cape Horn
Gaglardi Way
The existing Highway 1 corridor from Vancouver to Langley is one of Port Mann Bridge
three priority corridors identified for consideration. The other two are 152nd St.
the North Fraser Perimeter Road (including the Pitt River Bridge and
160th St. 176th St.
Mary Hill Bypass) and the South Fraser Perimeter Road.
200th St.
192nd St.
port mann/highway 1 project Benefits 216th St.
The Port Mann/Highway 1 Project, a key component of the Gateway
200 St
Program, will have the following benefits:
Port Mann/Highway 1: Interchanges
• Reduce travel times on Highway 1 and increase their predictability
This project’s proposed improvements also include congestion-
• Reduce congestion at entry and exit points to Highway 1 reduction measures such as HOV lanes, transit and commercial vehicle
• Reduce travel times for trips across Highway 1 and improve priority access to highway on-ramps, improvements to the cycling
connections within and between communities network and a toll on the Port Mann Bridge. As well, the new Port Mann
Bridge will be built to accommodate future light rail transit.
• Improve access to and from the corridor for goods movement
• Facilitate the introduction of transit service along the corridor and port mann/highway 1
pre-Design consultation program
the improvement of transit service across the highway
The Ministry of Transportation has been consulting with the public and
• Expand HOV, cycling and pedestrian networks along or in the vicinity stakeholders on pre-design concepts for the Port Mann/Highway 1
of the corridor project since early 2006. In February - April, the Pre-design Consultation
• Improve safety for vehicle operators and passengers, cyclists, and sought public input on goals for interchange upgrades, congestion
pedestrians reduction measures such as HOV lanes, transit and commercial vehicle
priority access to highway on/off-ramps, improvements to the cycling
The Port Mann/Highway 1 Project includes widening the highway,
network and a proposed toll on the Port Mann Bridge.
twinning the Port Mann Bridge, significantly upgrading interchanges
and improving access and safety on Highway 1 from the McGill Street In October and November, the consultation focused on access
interchange in Vancouver to 216th Street in Langley, a distance of and interchange improvements along the corridor. The Cape Horn
approximately 37 kilometres. This project is scheduled for completion Interchange pre-design is now further advanced, and the Ministry of
by 2013. Transportation is seeking public input on the proposed improvements.
Cape Horn Interchange Improvements • December 2006 – January 2007 1
Cape Horn Interchange Pre-Design Consultation
overview of the cape horn interchange area have changed. The addition of United Boulevard and the Mary
The Cape Horn interchange is located in South Coquitlam, adjacent to Hill Bypass have introduced new links in the road network, and traffic
the Pacific Reach and Mayfair industrial areas and the United Boulevard volumes on all routes to and from Highway 1 in both directions have
commercial district. It is a primary connection for Greater Vancouver’s increased dramatically. Now, Cape Horn has the following primary
growing northeast sector and North Fraser communities. In addition traffic flows:
to serving Highway 1 through-traffic, the interchange also connects a a. Traffic between Surrey and the Tri-Cities area Approximately
number of other significant transportation routes such as Lougheed 50% of vehicles entering Highway 1 at 152nd Street, and 30% of
Highway, Mary Hill Bypass and United Boulevard, and is the largest all vehicles crossing the Port Mann Bridge, exit at Cape Horn in the
interchange in the Lower Mainland. morning peak commuting period.
The Cape Horn interchange accommodates 210,000 vehicle trips per b. Through traffic crossing the Port Mann Bridge to travel
day (2003) and, based on projected regional growth, will carry traffic between points south of the Fraser River and the cities of New
volumes of 390,000 trips per day by 2031. The interchange will also be Westminster via the Brunette Interchange, Burnaby and Vancouver.
the access route for cyclists using the new Port Mann Bridge.
c. Local traffic across Highway 1 between Coquitlam and New
Originally, the Cape Horn interchange was located in a rural portion of Westminster and within Coquitlam accessing the commercial /
Coquitlam and formed a connection between Lougheed Highway and industrial areas along United Boulevard.
Highway 1. The vast majority of Highway 1 traffic was through-traffic,
d. Traffic between growing residential areas such as Port
with limited volumes entering and exiting in this area. Over time, as
Coquitlam and Maple Ridge, and primary employment centers in
Greater Vancouver has grown, land use and transportation in this
New Westminster, Burnaby and Vancouver via the Mary Hill Bypass.
Cape Horn Interchange showing major arterial roads.
Port Mann
Bridge
Cape Horn Interchange Improvements • December 2006 – January 2007 2
Cape Horn Interchange Pre-Design Consultation
challenges of the cape horn interchange • Minimize private property and environmental impacts, and
Changes in traffic volumes and trip destinations have created challenges potentially enhance the existing environment in the area through
for the existing interchange. Various modifications have been made over in-stream works that improve fish habitat
time to help improve interchange operations, but they are reaching or
Some of the traffic movements that will be significantly improved
have reached their design limits, resulting in significant congestion and
include:
increasing safety concerns. Increasing traffic volumes are only making
these challenges worse. Specific issues include: • Lougheed Highway to Highway 1 eastbound – currently westbound
and eastbound Lougheed Highway traffic share the same route and
• Close proximity to the Port Mann Bridge and large volumes of traffic
entry point to access Highway 1 eastbound, which causes significant
merging onto Highway 1 creates weaving or “turbulence,” slowing
congestion. This will be improved by separating the connections
down traffic and causing back-ups at entrance ramps
and, in the case of Lougheed eastbound, providing a more direct
• Large volumes of traffic merging on and off Highway 1 westbound connection.
cause traffic to slow in the right lane, which affects highway
• Mary Hill Bypass and Highway 1 westbound to Lougheed Highway
operations
westbound – currently both involve circuitous routes that mix with
• Currently, some interchange ramps have tight loops, requiring traffic traffic bound for other destinations. This will be improved with direct
to slow relative to highway operating speeds on approach and connections via overpass structures.
through ramp segments
• Highway 1 (west of Port Mann) and Mary Hill Bypass – access is
• The patchwork of small improvements over the years has created currently provided thorough a signalized intersection at United
indirect connections requiring the use of other roads, such as United Boulevard. This will be improved to a grade separated access
Boulevard, limiting local accessibility into the area (i.e., an overpass across United Boulevard).
• Lougheed Highway eastbound to Mary Hill Bypass eastbound
proposeD solution for the – currently accessed via a circuitous route involving United
cape horn interchange Boulevard and a signalized intersection. This will be improved with
The pre-design concept proposes a complete reconstruction of the a direct connection involving overpass structures across Highway 1
Cape Horn interchange, including: and United Boulevard.
• Improve the capacity and quality of current connections at the These improvements will help maximize the benefits of other
interchange to better reflect current and forecast travel patterns improvements along the Highway 1 corridor, which include:
• Provide direct ramp access between Highway 1 and major arterial • congestion reduction measures
roads to provide more direct routes. This will reduce congestion • twinning of the Port Mann Bridge
on Highway 1, improve traffic flow between Lougheed Highway,
• addition of one lane in each direction on the west side of the Port
Mary Hill Bypass and United Boulevard, and relieve cross-congestion
Mann Bridge and two lanes in each direction east of the Port Mann
on these routes
Bridge (one lane in each direction will be an HOV/transit lane)
• Improve safety by reducing traffic weaving and by upgrading /
extending highway on- and off-ramps to meet current design The proposed improvements are a reference concept, which is an initial
standards design by the Gateway Program to address the congestion, operational
and safety issues that are currently faced at the Cape Horn Interchange.
• Remove left-hand exits and entrances from the interchange, which
The Ministry will continue to work with Coquitlam to refine this
are not standard and often cause driver confusion
concept and potentially find more innovative solutions that address
• Improve directional signage the challenges at this interchange, while minimizing impacts to private
• Provide cyclist access to and from the new Port Mann Bridge property as well as visual, noise and other impacts.
Cape Horn Interchange Improvements • December 2006 – January 2007 3
Cape Horn Interchange Pre-Design Consultation
cycling enhancements at the cape horn
interchange
As an integral part of the proposed cycling crossing on the twinned
Port Mann Bridge, cycling improvements through the Cape Horn
Interchange will provide connections from the Port Mann Bridge to/
from the cycling network in Coquitlam, including the Mary Hill Bypass,
Lougheed Highway (east and west) and United Boulevard.
Key elements of the proposed cycling routes and connections through
the proposed Cape Horn interchange are described below.
At the west end of the twinned Port Mann Bridge, the two-way cycling
path would descend from the bridge to ground near the current
United Boulevard / Mary Hill Bypass intersection, which would be
the cycling connection to Mary Hill Bypass and via United Boulevard,
to Coquitlam via Lougheed Highway (east) and Mariner Way. The
cycling path would then turn west, traveling at-grade through the
interchange and over the CP Rail line via a rail overpass structure that
would be shared with westbound Lougheed Highway vehicle traffic.
The path would then run on the north side of Lougheed Highway
through to Schoolhouse, where cyclists would continue on the
shoulders of Lougheed Highway (consistent with Coquitlam’s planned
cycling network). Lougheed cyclists would use the off-road path to
travel through the interchange rather than the shoulder of Lougheed
Highway.
gateway program
Web: www.gatewayprogram.bc.ca
Email: info@gatewayprogram.bc.ca
Tel: 604.456.2420
Fax: 604.439.2585
Mail: Metrotower I, 2400 - 4710 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 4N2
Cape Horn Interchange Improvements • December 2006 – January 2007 4
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