OTTAWA — The federal government announced last week that it will contribute up to $19.9 million to a $45-million overpass that will be built on the Roberts Bank causeway at port Metro Vancouver’s Deltaport Terminal.

The project is part of Port Metro’s ongoing efforts to improve capacity needs in anticipation of Asian markets looking for Canadian exports.

The overpass is expected to improve the efficiency of traffic to and from the terminal, eliminating current conflicts between rail and truck traffic. The two-lane overpass will provide grade separation between rail tracks and the Deltaport Causeway access road. That separation is expected to make room for 200,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of additional capacity annually at Deltaport.

It’ll also, said Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Member of Parliament for Delta—Richmond East, “address some of the transportation pressures port growth has placed on local transportation.”

It’s only the first component of the project. Other’s are: reconfiguration of rail track and additional container handling equipment within the existing Deltaport Terminal; additional rail track within the existing railway corridor and a portion of the Option Lands; and road improvements on Deltaport Way to improve the movement of container trucks at Deltaport.

Port Metro Vancouver is also looking at easing truck congestion by spreading out truck trips throughout the day, and is currently looking at incentives to encourage truck drivers and companies to move their pickup and delivery to off-peak times. They’re also looking at a new dispatch system that would reduce the number of empty trucks going in and out of the terminal.

For more on the projects, click here.