Attn: the construction is finally here. Re-paving of Eagle Mountain Drive (originally planned for 2nd half of April) starts tomorrow: “Eagle Mountain Drive Road Repaving has been rescheduled to start the week of June 10 (weather dependent). Crews will work Monday to Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. They may work some Saturdays as well.

Reminder, during active construction, there will be traffic delays. Please plan extra time when using this route. In addition, street parking will be affected throughout the project.

Lastly, Eagle Mountain Drive may be left in compacted gravel for a number of days while work is being completed. Please drive carefully.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.”

Following the re-paving, we expect Fortis to get right to work on the power line construction. A new hydro line will be built from beside the substation (the area where the kids have a little track) and it will be up through Baby Bastard, ending at the entrance to Sidewinder.

It’s quite likely that there will be no more viable parking for the rest of the year…. Sidewinder is already closed until after they are done, so there is no way in to start the exterminator loop, because RSTBC does not want people riding from the road (so please avoid doing that). It’s possible there might be some available parking on Sundays and if so we will try and organize some trail days. It’s also possible we will just be stuck planning until the project ends.

In the meantime please do not go up there expecting to park or ride, you will have no luck with either! We get daily updates from the dog walkers so if the situation changes or as there are updates we’ll keep them posted here. The most important thing of course is that people stay OUT of active work areas, for everyone’s safety!

Sidewinder has now been closed for the Fortis construction. Fortis says “Trail access along the west side of our compressor station is already closed as crews prepare for tree clearing and rock blasting taking place throughout March.” So they obviously do not want anyone in there while that is taking place. They have pledged to open the trails as soon as possible but have yet to provide any solid timeline to when that will be (2 months? 2 years?). Parking will also be restricted at the parking area as early as May 1 (possibly also for the remainder of the project until 2026). There is going to be alternate parking at Eagle Mountain Park with flaggers directing people down to the Hydro ROW to get to the trails that way. Whether or not that will be a viable access for us is TBD, we are working on it. But for the meantime please do not expect to be able to access the trails via sidewinder and expect there to be no parking soon either! Obviously, don’t try and bust your way in there while there is active blasting/falling going on. There is no access to sidewinder or anywhere near the compressor station / any of the trails or roads that link directly to it.

Fortis sent us a new update and construction closures are looming, but exact dates are unclear. What is clear is that at some point there will be no more parking on eagle mountain drive (there is already no parking over on plateau) and there will be no way to get anywhere near sidewinder. The new map sent to us this evening shows where closure signage will be (yellow stars or orange “C”) and Sidewinder and anything near the gas plant will be blocked off with the road closed. Hopefully we can still get in until next spring, which is when work will move over to the west side of the compressor station. But with Eagle Mountain Drive as a designated heavy truck route for construction, we might find parking closures happen this year and effectively close everything.

Here is the update from Fortis:

“Following site preparations in Coquitlam, crews have begun tree clearing, stumping, grubbing, mulching and road upgrades. Our construction team anticipates continuing to progress this type of work through to the end of March. This spring, crews will continue with access road upgrades, stumping, grubbing, mulching and maintenance prior to pipeline construction, which is anticipated to begin this summer.

At the FortisBC Compressor Station, we expect upgrades to begin as early as May 1 and continue through March 2026. Minor traffic delays may be required to accommodate large trucks and will be monitored by traffic control personnel, who will work to safely direct and monitor oversized loads up hills in residential areas. Parking along Eagle Mountain Drive during construction will not be permitted as trucks will need enough space to make the narrow turn onto the road to the Compressor Station. Advanced notice of parking closures will be posted.

In the interest of public safety, additional custom trail closed signs will be implemented on all trails entering active work sites. Please see the attached trail map for reference. Trail and parking access on Plateau Blvd is expected to continue to be closed to the public during working hours (7:00 AM – 7:00 PM Monday – Saturday) until January 2025. Some of the trails around the FortisBC Compressor Station off Eagle Mountain Drive (see attached trail map) may require closures until March 2026. Trails will be reopened as much as possible when the locations are safe for use.”