On October 16 the Prince Rupert Port Authority's comprehensive study on the phase II expansion of Fairview Terminal was released, kicking off the final public comment period for the project.
The document looks at the expansion in two phases, with the first moving the terminal closer to town and the second expanding toward Ridley Island. Between the two phases, the project calls for the infilling of 11.1 hectare of marine environment, the construction of additional wharf, container yard and intermodal yard space, the removal and relocation 14 rail tracks within the intermodal yard for a total of approximately 14,000 metres of rail, dredging and at-sea disposal, construction of two rail siding that require infilling above and below the high water mark and construction of a road connecting Fairview Terminal to Ridley Island.
Once phase one of the expansion is complete, though, the Prince Rupert Port Authority envisions up to 10 vessels per week calling on Prince Rupert while the expansion to the south would accommodate up to 14 vessels. The overall capacity of the terminal would be 2 million TEUs, which is four times the 500,000 TEU capacity the first phase was designed to handle.
In terms of train traffic, the expansion toward town would increase to a total of six train movements per day – three inbound and three outbound – while the second phase would see up to 10 train movements per day – five inbound and five outbound.
In the report it is noted that nearby residents could be impacted by increased noise, but that construction would be limited in the evening and on weekends when practical, that a website or e-mail system would be set-up to advise people of night time construction or construction activities, and that work is underway in the background with CN and the City to make the crossings near the ferry terminal and across the highway anti-whistling crossings.
As well, the report notes that the road connecting Fairview Terminal and Ridley Island would remove approximately 1,570 truck movements upon completion of phase one and up to 2,500 truck movements after phase two from the streets in Prince Rupert.
Public comments can be received by November 16, 2012. After this comment period, the Minister of the Environment and the PRPA will take into consideration the Comprehensive Study Report along with public comments received and issue their respective decisions. Comments can be e-mailed to FairviewPhase2@ceaa-acee.gc.ca or mailed to the address listed here.