Port Metro Vancouver To Boost Seaways To Free Roads Of Trucks

Vancouver, British Columbia (AHN) - Port Metro Vancouver plans to transfer 650 trucks per day off congested roads and transfer them to new short-sea shipping routes.

Vancouver Sun reported that the port authority will trade waterways for roadways to move cargo around. The federal government has earmarked $20 million from its Asia Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative Transportation Infrastructure Fund to assist port operators and municipalities in the construction of facilities amounting to $43.5 million.

Port Metro Vancouver identified five short sea shipping projects and two road projects in British Columbia's Lower Mainland.

The projects involve the construction of five barge docks and ramps, which would allow terminals to load containers onto barges by crane or drive them on by truck. Two of these will be located at the Vanterm terminal on Burrard Inlet and Deltaport at Roberts Bank, near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal.

With the barge docks, steel boxes could be moved to and from distribution centers on the Fraser River, saving two truck trips for every container that doesn't need to be picked up, driven across town and then dropped off at location across the city, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Short-haul shipping has been serving B.C. coastal communities for more than 100 years. Port Metro Vancouver has been planning to boost the province's short-sea waterways using tugs and barges.

Port Metro Vancouver is Canada's largest and most diversified port, trading more than $53 billion in goods with more than 100 trading economies annually.