Public notice 

FRPD New Westminster Works Yard – Dock Upgrades – Public comments invited 

August 3, 2021 – As part of its Project and Environmental Review process, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority must determine whether the proposed FRPD New Westminster Works Yard – Dock Upgrades, located at 447 20th Street, New Westminster, BC, is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. Written comments to be received by September 1, 2021. 

To help inform this determination and a decision on whether or not to approve the proposed project, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. All comments received will be considered public and may be posted online.  For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website. In addition, your contact information may be shared with third parties, e.g., the tenant, other relevant agencies, to help respond to your questions and inform possible mitigations. 

Written comments must be submitted by September 1, 2021: 

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority 
Project and Environmental Review 
100 The Pointe, 999 Canada Place 
Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6C 3T4  
per@portvancouver.com 

The proposed project 

FRPD Realty Inc. proposes to upgrade part of their existing timber-pile-supported dock at 447 20th Street, New Westminster. The dock upgrade will increase the load capacity of the dock and will accommodate heavier cranes for loading and offloading materials between the work yard and vessels moored at the dock. The proposed project involves replacing an approximate 63 square meter section of the existing dock's timber foundation with a new steel foundation consisting of eight new steel piles (approximately 0.76 meters in diameter), four pile top plates, two pilecap beams, and three stringers. All components of the new steel foundation will be installed using a land-based crawler crane. A vibratory hammer will be used to set the new piles into the ground until refusal. An impact hammer will then be used to install the piles down to design elevations (i.e., 25 meter embedment).  

The removal of rock/debris along the river bank beneath the dock is not anticipated to be required for the installation of the piles. However, in the event that it is, debris would be placed into a bin for later offsite recycling and/or disposal in accordance with applicable regulations. Overall, the project will result in an increased footprint of approximately three square meters on the upland side of the dock.  

The Project will require approximately three weeks to complete under regular working hours (i.e., Monday to Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with no work on Sundays or holidays).