Sapperton Construction Projects

There are several major construction projects currently taking place in the McBride-Sapperton neighbourhood. City staff are working closely with project owners to minimize the impact on residents and businesses; however, as with all major construction projects, some disruptions will occur.

For information on current road closures and impacts, please visit the Roadworks and Construction Projects webpage.

Construction Management FAQs

Why are there so many concurrent projects in this neighbourhood?
New Westminster is one of the oldest cities in the province and one of the fast growing communities. This results in yearly infrastructure upgrade improvements and land development projects. Council and staff do not control when land development projects are submitted to the City for approval and move into the active construction phase. As a result, they do not control when a project starts.

How does the City grant construction permits?
Once Council approves a development application, the construction process can begin right away. Before work begins, the City’s project team, which includes staff from engineering, transportation, building services, among others, have a pre-construction meeting with the project owners.  At the pre-construction meeting, the City is provided with the construction schedule, traffic management plan, and communication notifications for residents and businesses. The City team will confirm the traffic and construction management expectations  with the project owner’s team.

How does the City minimize impacts on neighbourhood roadways and sidewalks?
A Street Occupancy Permit (SOP) is needed when there is a request to use a roadway (including lanes, parking lanes, bike lanes) or sidewalk in a way that is outside the intended use outlined in in the Street Traffic Bylaw. When a construction project impacts the movement of vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists a Traffic Management Plan (TMP) is required.

Before city staff issue a Street Occupancy Permit and approve a Traffic Management Plan, all applications are reviewed for cumulative or compounding impacts and to ensure a balance between the construction activity requested with the transportation needs of the area. It is also necessary that negative impacts to our priority modes of transportation (walking, cycling and transit) are minimized. All requests are considered with the following principles and priorities in mind:

• Safety of the public and worksite crew.
• Safe travel for all users, including pedestrians, transit users and cyclists to key destinations such as schools, businesses, services and parks. 
• Impacts on neighbourhood livability are minimized. 

During the review process, staff will guide the project owner by outlining the requirements to minimize compounding or cumulative impacts in the neighbourhood. Some examples are:

• The City will not allow full closures of arterials/major regional network during the daytime; 
• If a lane closure is needed on one road there must be alternate ways to get around the neighbourhood; 
• Staff will make sure that appropriate directional and detour signage is in place where there is a road closure.

Once an Street Occupancy Permit is issued, City staff inspects the work zone to ensure the Traffic Management Plan is followed. The permittee is responsible for ongoing monitoring to ensure that they continue to follow the approved TMP. An SOP may be revoked if the permittee is not complying with the approved traffic management plan or other conditions outlined in the SOP.

What is the Good Neighbour Protocol?
City staff work closely with the project owners and construction management companies to ensure they adhere to the Good Neighbour Protocol. The Good Neighbour Protocol is a set of guidelines developed to minimize the impact of construction projects on residents and businesses. Guidelines include: communicating with impacted neighbours; obtaining necessary permits; respecting construction hours of work; respecting the environment; keeping the site, roadways, and sidewalks safe for all users.

Who is notified when construction activity is taking place?
It is the responsibility of the project owner to notify residents and business in the immediate vicinity of the construction project. The timing and distribution area of the notification(s) is dependent on the size, duration, and level of impact of the construction activities.

All roadwork and street disruptions are posted on the Roadworks and Construction Projects webpage.

Where can I find a map of roadwork and street disruptions?
For a current map of roadwork and street disruptions, please visit the Roadworks & Construction Projects webpage.

Contact

For transportation and traffic questions or concerns, please contact:
Engineering Services
604-527-4592 or

For construction concerns and enforcement issues, please contact:
Bylaw Enforcement
604-527-4657 or

Current Construction Projects

The following constructions projects are currently in progress. If you have specific questions about the project, please contact the project representatives directly.