PRINCE RUPERT, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — The Prince Rupert Port Authority announced on May 19 the completion of the Port of Prince Rupert’s C$90-million road, rail and utility corridor (RRUC), unlocking new terminal developments and market access for Canadian exporters.

Representatives of the Port Authority were joined by project funding partners — the government of Canada, Province of British Columbia, Canpotex and CN — at an event held on the Ridley Island Industrial Site, where the last rail spike of the C$90-million project was driven. The government of Canada and the government of British Columbia each contributed C$15 million, CN provided C$30 million, Canpotex provided C$15 million, and the Prince Rupert Port Authority provided the remaining amount.

The completed RRUC was constructed over a two-year period with two local joint ventures, and supports multiple new large-scale terminal developments that will boost Canada’s trade capacity with fast-growing Asia-Pacific markets.

The project includes the construction of five parallel rail tracks, a two-lane roadway, and a port-owned power distribution system along an eight-kilometer corridor. This shared-use infrastructure defines a long-term port development plan for Canadian export terminals that will provide the capacity to ship potash, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other Canadian products to international markets. The RRUC will ensure that growth can be accommodated by a sustainable, efficient, coordinated platform. 

“The success of this project exemplifies what can be accomplished when a strategic, long-term vision is executed by a partnership of public and private investment,” said Don Krusel, president and chief executive officer of the Prince Rupert Port Authority. “The RRUC will expand the diversity of Prince Rupert’s growing port complex and further link Western Canada to a world of opportunity.”

Prince Rupert Constructors, a joint venture between Coast Tsimshian Enterprises, JJM Construction Ltd., and Emil Anderson Construction Inc., completed roughly 75% of the work on the RRUC. Coast Industrial Construction, a partnership between ICON Construction and the Gitxaala Nation (Kitkatla), was responsible for the remaining quarter of construction.

The Port of Prince Rupert’s development plan is based on a goal of reaching an annual throughput capacity of 100 million tonnes of cargo as proposed terminal developments are completed over the next decade. Much of that forecasted growth is dependent on the introduction of additional infrastructure on Ridley Island to realize its development potential, minimize use conflicts between potential terminal developments, and maximize the industrial footprint of the lands under the Port Authority’s jurisdiction.