Sunshine Coast Fixed Link

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by cornholio

As someone who travels to the Sunshine Coast several times per month and understands the area well this study is long over due. At the end of the day once this study is done it will recommend a fixed link connection via Squamish or a 2 km bridge near Portea Cove / Furry creek, both to Port Mellon. Through Squamish it would connect Wood Fiber to the city, something the LNG project wants and which makes it easier to push the project through, but there are some nasty slopes there and it would add to the trip time. A bridge near Portea Cove would be inexpensive but it would miss wood fiber and have some nimby opposition regarding the 2-3km bridge, but the router would be much quicker and miss most of the most challenging slopes. I figure the costs either way for a two lane sfe modern highway with a few passing lanes in the valleys would be in the $1 billion range and be worth every penny. Obviously no connection will ever be built across the islands due to costs/depths/island trusts/etc., but it still needs to be studied so that all the options can be compared.

As for the ferries they would be taken out of service, refitted for LNG like all the other ferries and re introduced in to service on other routes for another decade or two of their remaining life.

I will tell you 100% that a fixed link be recommended and I my guess is it will be built within a decade of this study. It is long over due. Th economic benefits to the SSC and province will pay for a fixed link 100 times over.

This sounds pretty precise to me. The designs that spooked me were the ones going through Bowen and Gambier.
Just a couple of questions, though.
Might this 'long way round' become an issue for people who need to take the road frequently? Or for any of the surrounding communities?
Secondly, as you mention removing the current car ferries, would a system of fast, passenger-only ferries be at all plausible?

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by dandor31

I'm sure BC Ferries would be supportive of this move. The Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal is congested with both marine traffic and limited storage for waiting vehicles. Reducing the terminal to service only Nanaimo (Departure Bay) and Bowen Island would likely be very beneficial. It is also quoted as requiring a $200 million upgrade just to maintain the status quo. If the Langdale route was removed perhaps this number could come down.

There was also talk of cancelling the Dept Bay-Horseshoe Bay route because of these problems, but that was shot down my Minister Stone.

This Globe and Mail article sums up most of these things:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle22609804/

Thanks. I forgot to touch on this. This is also something that will be taken into account. The Horseshoe bay ferry terminal cant handle current capacity as is and its nearly impossible to expand / upgrade due to space constraints / nimby's / and not being able to re route ferries to other terminals. In fact something they may look into is moving the Nanaimo ferry to Langdale and re developing the Horse shoe bay terminal and keeping only the bowen island ferry...although that would add significant time to vehicle passengers going to/from Vancouver. But I am sure this scenario will still be looked at, along with the option of cutting the Powell River to Comox ferry (which would suck).

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

This sounds pretty precise to me. The designs that spooked me were the ones going through Bowen and Gambier.
Just a couple of questions, though.
Might this 'long way round' become an issue for people who need to take the road frequently? Or for any of the surrounding communities?
Secondly, as you mention removing the current car ferries, would a system of fast, passenger-only ferries be at all plausible?

Yes it could be a issue for some people depending on their commute patterns. The ferry is pleasant and beets spending that time driving, if you can work with their schedule / unreliability. But as it is right now you have to arrive at the ferry terminal at least 30min before sailing so you don't miss it and have to wait for 2 to 4 hours for the next one. So that 45 min trip, in reality is 75 min minimum (when there are no sailing delays etc.) So a fixed link would still end up saving people time (if its a bridge at Furry Creek, not through Squamish) and allow people to not be constrained by sailing times. So overall I think the vast majority of regular commuters will benefit, but there will be some for who the current set up works and they will miss it. Having said that the biggest benefactor of a fixed link is industry. The existing ferry system absolutely kills any possibility of significant industry locating on the Sunshine Coast, thats why there are virtually no jobs and good industrial land there sits unused.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by cornholio

Yes it could be a issue for some people depending on their commute patterns. The ferry is pleasant and beets spending that time driving, if you can work with their schedule / unreliability. But as it is right now you have to arrive at the ferry terminal at least 30min before sailing so you don't miss it and have to wait for 2 to 4 hours for the next one. So that 45 min trip, in reality is 75 min minimum (when there are no sailing delays etc.) So a fixed link would still end up saving people time and allow people to not be constrained by sailing times. So overall I think the vast majority of regular commuters will benefit, but there will be some for who the current set up works and they will miss it.

Thank you. I find that explains a lot, and explains it well.
In the brochure from the project in Norway, there was also the mention of passenger-only ferries. Would this be an option to commuters to Vancouver waterfront, or maybe Horseshoe Bay,
if taking the bus elsewhere?

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by Kisai

Look around the Kootenay-Columbia area. There used to be a cable ferry below the Hugh Keeleyside dam, that was replaced with a bridge IIRC in the late 80's, and shifted traffic around (and then the the Highway 3 overpass was changed in the late 90's and all of the city's major businesses moved south of the overpass.) There were threats to outright remove the Glade ferry on the Kootenay river. (Glade doesn't have a lot of people to begin with.) The government instead has replaced the older ferries with newer models.

My familiarity with this that somewhere around the time the Liberals were elected, "P3'ing all the inland ferries" became a hot topic, and there was panic and outrage that several of these communities might lose their ferry entirely (like Glade which has 139 houses.)

Here's a map of all the in-land ferries.

So 1 example of a bridge replacing an inland ferry in the last 40 years? It's outta control!

And really? the Castlegar-Robson bridge is worse than the ferry? Those businesses moved because shit like Canadian Tire doesn't go in small town downtowns.

Originally Posted by CanSpice

The Albion ferries were replaced with the Golden Ears Bridge.

That was Translink, and hardly a bad thing.

Originally Posted by dandor31

I'm sure BC Ferries would be supportive of this move. The Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal is congested with both marine traffic and limited storage for waiting vehicles. Reducing the terminal to service only Nanaimo (Departure Bay) and Bowen Island would likely be very beneficial. It is also quoted as requiring a $200 million upgrade just to maintain the status quo. If the Langdale route was removed perhaps this number could come down.

There was also talk of cancelling the Dept Bay-Horseshoe Bay route because of these problems, but that was shot down my Minister Stone.

This Globe and Mail article sums up most of these things:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle22609804/

It's great for eggheads to look at the numbers and play with them, but sometimes operational issues aren't taken into account. I don't know how it would be possible for a Tsawwassen super terminal to handle the peak number of ferries needed. The ferries can only move in one direction around the terminal at a time. I've been on the ferries many times and have had to wait for one to dock before ours could leave. I can't imagine how bad that would get if there were also 5 ferries on the Tsawwassen-Duke Point run. Combine that with an expanded delta port in the near future and we are just waiting for a repeat of what happened between the Queen of Victoria and Sergey Yesenin.

The wind also play havoc on Tsawwessen (which is partly why ferries have to wait for each other, too easy to be blown into one another; and the spirit ships need to turn around). Every few months the terminal is shut down. I don't think it's a great idea to have everything set up so one accident or a windy day can cut all travel to the island.

And the road into Tsawwassen isn't that great. Just try being on the 4pm ferry from Victoria in the summer. Because it is rush hour in Vancouver, and the Duke point ferry arrives just ahead of you, the timing at the lights at 56ave back up traffic all the way onto the Causeway.

And from what I've been able to find, noone knows what this $200 million upgrade at Horseshoe bay would do. It's a phantom number that doesn't do anything but is meant to scare people. The place has gone through major renovations since I was a kid. And whenever I'm there I find they don't adequately use the parking they already have anyway. They make people wait outside the terminal, while the lot inside is half empty.

And you would need to upgrade the other terminals too. Duke point would need an overhaul; it only has one berth. If you were to replace Departure bay, you would need to replicate the capacity, so during the summer peak you would need 5 ferries on the run. There is no where at either terminal to keep extra ferries (beyond the extras already in place there). Tsawwassen would also need to see waiting space increase by about 50% and probably a doubling of the long term parking, which would mean filling in the ocean. You would spend more than $200 million to upgrade the terminals to replace what you decommission.

Originally Posted by cornholio

Thanks. I forgot to touch on this. This is also something that will be taken into account. The Horseshoe bay ferry terminal cant handle current capacity as is and its nearly impossible to expand / upgrade due to space constraints / nimby's / and not being able to re route ferries to other terminals. In fact something they may look into is moving the Nanaimo ferry to Langdale and re developing the Horse shoe bay terminal and keeping only the bowen island ferry...although that would add significant time to vehicle passengers going to/from Vancouver. But I am sure this scenario will still be looked at, along with the option of cutting the Powell River to Comox ferry (which would suck).

That would be absolutely terrible in all regards. I have no idea how that could possibly work. Even after spending hundreds of millions on upgrading Langdale into a multi berth port with triple the parking and roads for turning vehicles around, it would be stupid at best.

Originally Posted by cornholio

Yes it could be a issue for some people depending on their commute patterns. The ferry is pleasant and beets spending that time driving, if you can work with their schedule / unreliability. But as it is right now you have to arrive at the ferry terminal at least 30min before sailing so you don't miss it and have to wait for 2 to 4 hours for the next one. So that 45 min trip, in reality is 75 min minimum (when there are no sailing delays etc.) So a fixed link would still end up saving people time (if its a bridge at Furry Creek, not through Squamish) and allow people to not be constrained by sailing times. So overall I think the vast majority of regular commuters will benefit, but there will be some for who the current set up works and they will miss it. Having said that the biggest benefactor of a fixed link is industry. The existing ferry system absolutely kills any possibility of significant industry locating on the Sunshine Coast, thats why there are virtually no jobs and good industrial land there sits unused.

No local arrives more than 30 minutes before a regular sailing. Unless you are leaving Langdale on a Sunday evening in camping season, 30 minutes is more than enough time.

Except for Friday evenings in the summer, I basically show up at a terminal, put the car in park for 5 minutes, then I'm rolling onto the ferry. Except maybe this year. This summer was the busiest I've ever seen the ferries.

I haven't had a reservation in more than 6 years, and this summer was the first time in a long time I've shown up at the terminal and needed to wait a sailing. A few weekends ago in September I was leaving the island via Nanaimo on a Sunday around 7pm, and the 8:15 ferry was full from Duke point (that rarely happens even on a long weekend) and the 9:30 from Departure Bay was already 85% full. I got on the last ferry from Departure and it left with several cars not being able to get on. I can't remember the last time I've been on a 100% full last sailing. It don't think it has ever happened to me (and I almost always aim for the last sailing).

And Vancouver Island has lots of industry, yet rely on ferries for connection to the mainland. So a road while great for getting around outside ferry schedules, it isn't going to be a total game changer for industry on the Sunshine coast.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

So 1 example of a bridge replacing an inland ferry in the last 40 years? It's outta control!

And really? the Castlegar-Robson bridge is worse than the ferry? Those businesses moved because shit like Canadian Tire doesn't go in small town downtowns.

Are you really going to suggest that only one ferry was on the chopping block?

Hull # 123 (built in 1961 by Allied) was the old Harrop Ferry, that the one in place now replaced.

That ferry was sold and stripped down in Nelson then transported to Arrow Lakes where it is used as a work barge.

The Present Harrop Ferry was until 1959 the Nelson Ferry beside the present bridge at Lakeside park to Jorgenson's landing.

After the bridge (at Nelson) was built, the ferry was moved to Castlegar where they had 2 ferry's crossing to Castlegar at Robson. When the Bridges went in there (Castlegar) and after a fight with people of Robson, the old Nelson was moved to Nakusp where it sat until 1992 when it was cut apart and moved to Kaslo and assembled as present Harrop ferry.

The other Castlegar Ferry is now the Arrow Park Ferry.

Read more: http://ferriesbc.proboards.com/threa...#ixzz3nHOiJdBB

The Harrop and Glade ferries are being replaced and will be in service by 2018.

Yet...
A ferrytale existence

In later years, the ferry’s capacity increased to five, and then in 1980, the present eight-car ferry began crossing the river. Denisoff retired about 20 years ago.

Periodically, the notion of replacing the ferry with a bridge is suggested, such as in 2002 when the BC government threatened to reduce service and slap tolls on inland ferries.

Denisoff recalls one public meeting where he suggested they vote on it.

“I think 80 per cent were for the bridge,” he says. However, “now that we’ve got a lot of new people, it’s getting to be pretty even.”

He says Glade is becoming a “semi-recreational” haven, popular with hikers, canoeists, ATVers and snowmobilers. They like their seclusion, and fear a bridge would change that. To them, a short, free ferry ride is an asset, not an inconvenience.

“We have people from Kelowna and the Lower Mainland, and for them to wait the five or eight minutes, they’re laughing, because you go to the coast, [ferry sailings] will take you two hours at times.”

Like what I want to draw the comparison to is, that if a community is only reachable by ferry, then that community might want to keep it that way to prevent development. But that comes at a cost, and when the ferry is free to use, that means that community is being subsidized heavily by the government.

The Sunshine coast ferry isn't free. But how much is that route being subsidized by the large ferry routes?

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

That would be absolutely terrible in all regards. I have no idea how that could possibly work. Even after spending hundreds of millions on upgrading Langdale into a multi berth port with triple the parking and roads for turning vehicles around, it would be stupid at best.

Terrible yes, but it would play in to the Liberals plans. They would cut a money losing route from Powell River to Comox, funnel more traffic on to another money losing route from Saltery bay to Earles cove and get enough traffic for a new Mainland to Vancouver Island route that would still service North Vancouver and the interior of BC using the 99, along with Sunshine Coast. They would then be able to funnel even more traffic into Tssawassen, which they want to do regardless, and they would get to shut down Horseshoe bay once and for all (except for the Bowen island route). I dont agree with it, the ferries are part of the highway network and should be treated as such but I am saying what the province will be looking at, and what they could theoretically get away with if they had a fixed link.

Originally Posted by BCPhil

No local arrives more than 30 minutes before a regular sailing. Unless you are leaving Langdale on a Sunday evening in camping season, 30 minutes is more than enough time.

Except for Friday evenings in the summer, I basically show up at a terminal, put the car in park for 5 minutes, then I'm rolling onto the ferry. Except maybe this year. This summer was the busiest I've ever seen the ferries.

Locals most definitely arrive 30 min before unless you live in Gibsons which allows for more flexibility.

Originally Posted by BCPhil

I haven't had a reservation in more than 6 years, and this summer was the first time in a long time I've shown up at the terminal and needed to wait a sailing. A few weekends ago in September I was leaving the island via Nanaimo on a Sunday around 7pm, and the 8:15 ferry was full from Duke point (that rarely happens even on a long weekend) and the 9:30 from Departure Bay was already 85% full. I got on the last ferry from Departure and it left with several cars not being able to get on. I can't remember the last time I've been on a 100% full last sailing. It don't think it has ever happened to me (and I almost always aim for the last sailing).

Your talking about Vancouver island now.

Originally Posted by BCPhil

And Vancouver Island has lots of industry, yet rely on ferries for connection to the mainland. So a road while great for getting around outside ferry schedules, it isn't going to be a total game changer for industry on the Sunshine coast.

Vancouver Island suffers because of the ferries but is also 35,000 sq km with a million people, the provincial government and huge forestry idustry. And yet it still suffers because of the ferries.

Originally Posted by Kisai

Are you really going to suggest that only one ferry was on the chopping block?



The Harrop and Glade ferries are being replaced and will be in service by 2018.

Yet...
A ferrytale existence


Like what I want to draw the comparison to is, that if a community is only reachable by ferry, then that community might want to keep it that way to prevent development. But that comes at a cost, and when the ferry is free to use, that means that community is being subsidized heavily by the government.

The Sunshine coast ferry isn't free. But how much is that route being subsidized by the large ferry routes?

The Horseshoe bay Langdale ferry has profits of $10 million a year last I heard and subsidizes the rest of the ferry system. It is well used, with too few sailings and high prices for a 45 min sailing that many people use for actual commuting.

Anyways like I said a fixed link will be built to the sunshine coast but it will never be a island hopping bridge.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by cornholio

The Horseshoe bay Langdale ferry has profits of $10 million a year last I heard and subsidizes the rest of the ferry system. It is well used, with too few sailings and high prices for a 45 min sailing that many people use for actual commuting.

Hold the phone. I have proof otherwise.
http://www.coastalferriesengagement...._Fall_2013.pdf

ROUTE 3 | Langdale – Horseshoe Bay
Financial Performance (before taxpayer contributions): $4.49 million shortfall
Average Annual Capacity Utilization: 54.5%
Traffic: 1.08 million vehicles and 2.50 million passengers

Note they didn't include data for the Vancouver<->Vancouver Island routes. But all the small routes appear to be bleeding money.

The 2012 document does though:
http://www.coastalferriesengagement....n_December.pdf

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by Kisai

Are you really going to suggest that only one ferry was on the chopping block?



The Harrop and Glade ferries are being replaced and will be in service by 2018.

Yet...
A ferrytale existence


Like what I want to draw the comparison to is, that if a community is only reachable by ferry, then that community might want to keep it that way to prevent development. But that comes at a cost, and when the ferry is free to use, that means that community is being subsidized heavily by the government.

The Sunshine coast ferry isn't free. But how much is that route being subsidized by the large ferry routes?

Maybe I misread your post? I'm not sure anymore.

There is a lot of negativity in your post, so I'm not sure if you are for or against bridges replacing inland ferries.

If I was correct and replacing the ferries upsets you, then I stand by my comment. It happened once in the time frame you mentioned.

If I was wrong and you want more bridges, then I would amend my post to "Sorry it only has happened only once. It should happen more."

But I really don't get what you are getting at. Replacing a ferry over a fairly narrow river seems like a no brainer.

A bridge to Glade would not change a single thing in that town. It's not like there is some untapped natural wonder they have that exists no where else that we all want to go see so badly except there is a tiny ferry in the way so we don't go, and with a bridge the town would be swamped with asshole tourists and land speculators. Just like every single other town in the province. There isn't a single small town on a road anywhere anymore. Being on a road sure did make Robson a cappuccino sipping, purse dog, yuppie paradise.

I mean, I don't get it.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

Maybe I misread your post? I'm not sure anymore.

There is a lot of negativity in your post, so I'm not sure if you are for or against bridges replacing inland ferries.

My line of thinking is that replacing the ferry with a bridge should be a community-driven reason, not a bureaucratic one. One could offer the suggestion that the province would pay for a bridge if the ferry was at the end of it's service life (as in the case of the Glade ferry) , but the politicians instead frame it as a cost-saving with no consideration of the damage to tourism or environmental impact.

[Pinion]

I assumed, like with all recent road infrastructure projects (sans Georgia viaducts), this is being talked about for industry purposes. Woodfibre LNG to be specific. The people who live there, and those of us who will be affected by increased traffic (although I am for a bridge), are just nuisances.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by cornholio

Terrible yes, but it would play in to the Liberals plans. They would cut a money losing route from Powell River to Comox, funnel more traffic on to another money losing route from Saltery bay to Earles cove and get enough traffic for a new Mainland to Vancouver Island route that would still service North Vancouver and the interior of BC using the 99, along with Sunshine Coast. They would then be able to funnel even more traffic into Tssawassen, which they want to do regardless, and they would get to shut down Horseshoe bay once and for all (except for the Bowen island route). I dont agree with it, the ferries are part of the highway network and should be treated as such but I am saying what the province will be looking at, and what they could theoretically get away with if they had a fixed link.

I don't think the liberals have that kind of plan.

Like I said. I think a lot of these "plans" are just showing what the very few alternatives are, so that we all see the wisdom of paying a little bit more in fares to keep it the way it is.

It's like how the church has Hell to keep people praying.

Because I don't even see how that plan would save any money actually. you just end up with the same number of boats, if not more. Right now, Langdale and Powell River each use a ship; and Nanaimo has 2 ships. To handle the traffic you would need at least 4 ships (2 between Horseshoe and Langdale and 2 between Langdale and Nanaimo). Langdale, Powell River and Comox operate on minimal staffing levels, and those staff would just be needed in the other terminals to deal with the increased traffic. Where would the savings be?

Originally Posted by cornholio

Locals most definitely arrive 30 min before unless you live in Gibsons which allows for more flexibility.

Nope, doing it wrong. If you are there before you see the other ferry docking, you are too early.

I guess if you like reading then being early is a good excuse to force you to read more.

Originally Posted by cornholio

Your talking about Vancouver island now.

Yeah, because most ferries have been in the same hole the last few years. Declining ridership. And I blame most of that on passports and the dollar. Both hit at around the same time and drove away american tourists like the plague, and attracted a lot of BC vacationers down to the states. Now with the dollar messed up, this year has been insane on the ferries. Americans are coming and Canadians too poor to go to the USA are sailing. It is radically different than last year.

Originally Posted by cornholio

Vancouver Island suffers because of the ferries but is also 35,000 sq km with a million people, the provincial government and huge forestry idustry. And yet it still suffers because of the ferries.

The ferries don't force any special suffering onto Vancouver Island that isn't experienced by any community outside Vancouver. There are many towns around the lower mainland connected by freeway that are devoid of industry and jobs. In comparison to many places in the province, the Sunshine coast is a beacon of prosperity thanks to the tourism that a picturesque ferry ride brings.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by Kisai

My line of thinking is that replacing the ferry with a bridge should be a community-driven reason, not a bureaucratic one. One could offer the suggestion that the province would pay for a bridge if the ferry was at the end of it's service life (as in the case of the Glade ferry) , but the politicians instead frame it as a cost-saving with no consideration of the damage to tourism or environmental impact.

You can't look at it just as a ferry end of life. The ferries on these routes are completely interchangeable.

In fact, during peak season on busy weekends, there is an extra ferry that does a special Langdale -> Horseshoe Bay -> Departure Bay run, filling in the busiest times.

The Glade ferry is very location specific (being tied down by cables and all). But almost any of the C class vessels can do the run (and any that will be built).

And being end of life is relative. Many of the recently decommissioned ferries were put to pasture, not because they were too old, but because we outgrew them. A boat can survive a long time. The MV Coho has been in service almost daily since 1959. The original Sidney Class ferries were in service for 40 years and retired because they were too small. The V class ferries were retired because they were too slow. The Queen of New Westminster is 51 years old and recently refit (and one of my favorites to ride).

The Queen of Surrey was built in 1981 (actually the youngest of all C-class). She was refit in 2007 and with proper maintenance it has another 20 years in her.

As such, I think you have to look at the whole picture. You can make a capital expenditure like a ferry last a long time and get a lot of use out of it. But that continued operation and maintenance does cost money. So I think you can't just wait around for the ferry to die. You need to be ready and have a plan in place (so BC ferries can know what to do with the boat as it can run any other run). There might be a cost savings in building a road and reassigning the ferry before it craps out (putting off the purchase for a new ferry on another route).

In the end, I think a bridge is overkill. With all the problems on other, much more important roads, building a bridge to an enclave is spit in the face to a lot of people. We still don't have a 4 lane highway to connect us with the rest of the country (that many people every year die on because it is so bad). A second bridge over lake Okanagan is more needed. And the Malahat? Don't get me started. If you want to build a bridge, build one across the Saanich inlet to bypass the Malahat.

A simple road is good enough. If highway 4 is good enough to connect to Port Alberni, and the Pacific Rim, I don't see why the Sunshine coast needs anything better than that.

Build a tolerable road through Squamish and keep the ferry service. Just use a smaller ferry with fewer sailings at a higher charge. Best of both worlds.

Victoria has kept the Mill Bay ferry.

[Alex Mackinnon]

RFP is up for the connector study.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Alex Mackinnon

RFP is up for the connector study.

Thanks!

From Page 12 of the RFP:

[casper]

Originally Posted by dandor31

I'm sure BC Ferries would be supportive of this move. The Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal is congested with both marine traffic and limited storage for waiting vehicles. Reducing the terminal to service only Nanaimo (Departure Bay) and Bowen Island would likely be very beneficial. It is also quoted as requiring a $200 million upgrade just to maintain the status quo. If the Langdale route was removed perhaps this number could come down.

... [/url]

If you have ever listened to the president of BC Ferries speak he is quite clear BC Ferries is an operator of the routes the government decides to operate. His role is to operate them as efficiently and effectively as possible but not to make decisions on which routes it operates.

[jollyburger]

Slides from the recent open house for the Sunshine Coast Fixed Link Feasibility Study.

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/dri...lay-boards.pdf

[Klazu]

That red road option to Powell River would be ridiculously expensive to build. That alignment is 100 kilometers of mountain ranges. It would never make sense to build such road.

[red-paladin]

Updated the title.

[Infrequent Poster]

Originally Posted by Klazu

That red road option to Powell River would be ridiculously expensive to build. That alignment is 100 kilometers of mountain ranges. It would never make sense to build such road.

Much of the road is already there. Granted it is logging road, and yes it would still be very exspensive, but there is road from powell river all the way to the top of jervis inlet. It ends right at the base of mount alfred. I believe its the same coming from squamish. There is not really that much distance between the ends of each road (I used to know the exact amount). I believe its something like 15 to 20 km of new road they would need to build. Less if they incorporate a tunnel.

I do agree though would still be more money then anyone would be willing to spend.