What are the most interesting aspects of building new roadways in the 165-year-old city?

New Westminster was incorporated in 1860, making it one of the oldest municipalities in British Columbia. Appropriate to its age, the city has a lot of abandoned underground utilities, and we are uncovering plenty of them as we progress through our project here.

While our concrete and paving crews add the finishing touches, our excitement is brimming as we prepare to reveal our revamp of one of British Columbia’s most historic neighbourhoods. It is an honour to restore the appearance of a place that has withstood so much before us.

As much as we find exploratory joy in our "archeological" discoveries, they do demand extra work for us to determine what to do with them. If further investigation confirms they are indeed ancient and forsaken, we can excavate them. Otherwise, we need to alter our design and do a field fit.

After 10 months of hard work at the Royal Columbian Hospital site, we are now entering the final stretch of this major New Westminster project as we transition onto Sherbrooke Street. Compared to the earlier phase on the East Columbia section, vehicle flow is relatively lighter on Sherbrooke; however, busy pedestrian traffic still remains a challenge.

Despite the civil chaos and congestion of this job site, we have managed to build approximately 450 metres of curb and gutter, 450 metres of saw-cut-patterned concrete buffer strip, 750 square metres of saw-cut sidewalk, and 800 square metres of bike path for Sherbrooke. We have also completed about 280 cubic metres of excavation for this section.

The All Roads team has worked very closely with EllisDon and the City of New Westminster to accomplish everything we have here. Our project foreman Mike Broadfoot and the lead hand Damon McArthur have played crucial roles in keeping this very complex project on schedule and within budget.

While our concrete and paving crews add the finishing touches, our excitement is brimming as we prepare to reveal our revamp of one of British Columbia’s most historic neighbourhoods. It is an honour to restore the appearance of a place that has withstood so much before us.

Well done, All Roadsters!