The Holdom Overpass Project in Burnaby, B.C. has been awarded Envision Platinum—the highest sustainability designation from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. The recognition follows an evaluation across five categories: quality of life, leadership, resource allocation, natural world, and climate and resilience.
The overpass will improve traffic flow and safety for the Burnaby community while increasing trade capacity by nearly 15% at the Port of Vancouver’s North Shore terminals, a key hub for Canadian exports. The new overpass will extend Holdom Avenue south over the rail corridor and Still Creek to Douglas Road, replacing the existing Douglas Road rail crossing.
The Holdom Overpass Project earned the Envision Platinum award for its approach to sustainable infrastructure, which includes improving safety and mobility, enhancing pedestrian and cycling connections, protecting local waterways, and reducing vehicle idling.
As part of the project, native habitat is being restored and enhanced through the removal of invasive species, planting of native vegetation, and new habitat features such as bat roosting structures. The project will also create new public gathering spaces featuring First Nations art. The final bridge design includes new multi-use pathways and supports a regional strategy for sustainable mobility.
The project is also participating in the Construction Plastics Initiative pilot to drive the reuse and recycling of construction plastic, as part of a partnership between Light House and Aecon-Gateway Infrastructure Group Partnership (the design-build contractor on the project).
The overpass is part of the Burnaby Rail Corridor Improvements Project, a series of road and rail upgrades that will improve the flow of trains between Burnaby and North Vancouver port terminals, while reducing the impacts of growing trade on the local community. Earlier rail improvements completed by CN included upgrades to the Thornton Tunnel and a new rail siding between Willingdon and Piper avenues.
The Burnaby Rail Corridor Improvements Project is funded by the Government of Canada through the National Trade Corridors Fund, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, and CN.
The award for the Holdom Overpass Project marks the third time the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has received an Envision Platinum award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. The port authority’s Low Level Road Project received a Platinum award in 2015, followed by the Centerm Expansion Project and South Shore Access Project in 2024.
For more information about the Holdom Overpass Project, visit the port authority’s website.
(Photo from Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)