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Thursday March 6, 2014
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New $240M water tunnel will serve Surrey by Jeff Nagel A MECHANICAL mole is now drilling a
new tunnel under the Fraser River to deliver drinking water to Surrey and other neighbourhoods on the south side of the river. The tunnel boring machine was lowered in December by crane down a vertical access shaft on the Surrey shore and on Feb. 14 the tunneling phase of the $240-million construction project got under way. The 3.5-metre-wide Port Mann Water Supply Tunnel will run under the river bed just downstream of the Port Mann Bridge. It will more than double the carrying capacity of an older, smaller water main under the river that brings drinking water from the Coquitlam reservoir. Tunneling will finish this summer and the full project is to wrap up in mid-2015. The cost is paid by residents through Metro utility fees, which total $423 this year for water, sewer and waste services for an average $725,000 home.
Vaulting to success Surrey Gymnastics Society’s Timofey Azhogin, 11, competes on the vault during the 27th-annual Surrey Classic Invitational Saturday at the Guildford Recreation Centre. Azhogin was fourth all around in the Provincial 2 (10-and-under) group. For a full story, see page 16. BOAZ JOSEPH / THE LEADER
jnagel@blackpress.ca
Higher costs, cargo backlogs loom Hundreds of truckers halt work in dispute
But a major cargo backlog could build up over time, meaning higher costs for customers and lost wages for truckers. Peter Hall said more locally bound containers could be redirected to terminals at Seattle/ Tacoma and trucked north, or be moved by trains to Alberta, unpacked, and the goods hauled back to B.C. by long-haul trucks. “We don’t lose the cargo, we’d just get it by another route and we get it later,” Hall said. “The whole point about supply chains is they build in flexibility.”
by Jeff Nagel
A STRIKE by container truckers likely won’t quickly disrupt the Lower Mainland economy or reduce the availability of retail goods, according to an urban studies professor at SFU.
Several hundred independent truckers halted work last week and up to 400 more unionized drivers were expected to strike starting today (Thursday) over port terminal wait times and compensation for delays. Hall said alternate shipping methods would mean higher costs for customers and lost earnings for trans-loading facilities as well as the striking truckers, and result in a major cargo backlog over time. The core problem in the dispute is that truckers are paid per container delivered and
worsening congestion – either at the port terminals or on the roads – has made it harder for them to complete enough daily trips to earn a living. According to Hall, there would be advantages to paying drivers by the hour instead of per container. Hall said truckers would take fewer risks on the road and they could be directed to make shipments at night and use toll bridges instead of free crossings. See TRUCKERS / Page 3
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