November 26, 2011 – Two tenders for early construction on the Evergreen Line were posted yesterday on BC Bid, one of which is for the installation of new underground BC Hydro powerlines in Port Moody and Coquitlam for construction and operation of the Evergreen Line. (The other is for the removal of two vacant buildings in Coquitlam, and one in Burnaby.)

Contracts are expected to be awarded by January 2012, and work will begin shortly after.

Installing new underground BC Hydro powerlines will be one of the first in a series of construction activities to take place along the Evergreen Line route. This work is scheduled to take place in Port Moody and Coquitlam from January to June 2012.

Early construction also includes widening roads, moving utilities (such as electrical and natural gas lines), and relocating CP Rail tracks. This work will occur in several locations in Port Moody, Coquitlam and Burnaby before major construction begins. Additional early construction contracts will be tendered over the next several months.

The process to select the primary contractor is underway. Three shortlisted teams will submit proposals to design, build and finance the Evergreen Line by April 2012. The province anticipates selecting the primary contractor in the summer of 2012. Major construction will begin shortly after that.

The Evergreen Line is scheduled to open in the summer of 2016. The new rapid transit line will connect Coquitlam to Vancouver via Port Moody and Burnaby. It will allow passengers to connect, without transfer, to the existing SkyTrain network at Lougheed Station, and will integrate with regional bus and West Coast Express networks.