Trans Mountain pipeline crews encounter obstruction between Chilliwack and Hope

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CHILLIWACK — Following years of construction challenges and other issues, completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project is in sight.

The massive endeavour that has cost at least 34-billion-dollars will ultimately see an increase in the amount of Canadian oil shipped to the West Coast.

Amongst the obstacles that still need to be circumvented is an “obstruction” encountered while drilling in B.C.’s Fraser Valley between Hope and Chilliwack.

Officials with the Crown corporation add once that challenging segment has been successfully routed, the “final weld,” or what is formally known as mechanical completion, will go ahead.

After construction is finished, several regulatory steps must still be completed, such as getting permission from the Canada Energy Regulator to turn on the taps.

Once the expanded pipeline is operational, the required cleanup and reclamation work will continue in the project’s construction zone.

Trans Mountain Corporation continues to target an in-service date sometime in the second quarter of 2024.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2024

The Canadian Press