COQUITLAM, B.C., December 1, 2023 – Following the statement issued on November 30, the City of Coquitlam is providing an update on the geotechnical issue at the Amacon Construction Ltd. development site at 500 Foster Avenue in Coquitlam.
Consistent with Coquitlam’s Good Neighbour Construction Policy, because this is a private development site, the City looks to the developers to be the lead on issues related to their construction sites. In this incident, that includes ensuring that neighbouring residents are aware of the situation including the extended work hours and anticipated noise impacts related to the remediation work.
However, as this is an evolving situation of interest to the broader community, the City will also continue to provide updates related to traffic and the City’s role in this matter. Updates will be posted to coquitlam.ca/FosterAvenue as new information is received.
Coquitlam joins Amacon Construction Ltd. in apologizing to neighbours for these inconveniences and appreciate the ongoing patience as we work together to resolve this.
Neighbouring residents can reach out to foster@amacon.com for further information updates.
City Requires Developer to Engage Third-Party Geotechnical Engineer
City staff have been working with Amacon on the remediation work since being alerted to the failure of the shoring wall on Wednesday, November 29.
It is important to note that a shoring wall is a temporary wall installed during excavation and is not the permanent foundation wall for the building, which would be subject to the BC Building Code and City oversight. The BC Building Code does not govern the shoring system. This is within the mandate of the site’s geotechnical engineers who have their own professional standards and codes of ethics to ensure safety in these situations.
As an added precaution on this building site, the City of Coquitlam has taken the extra step of requiring the developer to hire a third-party geotechnical engineer to provide oversight of the remediation work. While this is not standard practice, City officials felt it was important to ensure there was additional oversight and trust for the protection of City infrastructure as well as the surrounding neighbourhood.
Traffic Update
Foster Avenue remains closed between North Road and Whiting Way to all vehicle traffic in order to ensure site and public safety. Pedestrians have access along the north side of Foster Avenue. Bus Route 157 has been temporarily rerouted via Robinson Street and Smith Avenue.
Night-time work will continue overnight, with ongoing road closures until remediation is complete to ensure the integrity of surrounding infrastructure and roadways.
Background
In the early evening of Wednesday, November 29, staff were made aware that the shoring wall (i.e. the temporary wall that supports a construction site during excavation) on the north end of the site had started to fail.
Foster Avenue was closed and work began immediately to fix the shoring wall to ensure no further failures.
WorkSafe BC also attended the site to inspect the incident, and provided instruction for the safe operation of the site. They have allowed work on the site to continue under the supervision of the site’s geotechnical engineer in order to stabilize the wall.
At this time, no one has been injured and there has been no known damage to City roads or underground infrastructure. Repairs to the shoring wall are being supervised by the developer’s professional geotechnical engineer, and they are completing inspections of the rest of the shoring walls. It is not expected that there is any risk to infrastructure or buildings beyond the immediate area of failure.
Residents with questions and concerns related to this development project can contact the City’s Planning and Development team at 604-927-3430 or devinfo@coquitlam.ca. After-hours concerns can be directed to the City’s 24/7 Engineering and Public Works customer service at 604-927-3500 or epw@coquitlam.ca.
Media Contact
Doug Vance
Building Permits Manager
media@coquitlam.ca
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.