If there is one day going to be a pedestrian overpass near the Evergreen line's Port Moody Central Station, it will likely be built without money from the province.

The provincial government has turned down a request by the City of Port Moody to build an overpass linking the Port Moody Central Station area to Murray Street, as part of the Evergreen Line construction.

In a letter to the city, Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom suggested the relatively low pedestrian traffic doesn't justify the cost of an overpass. He noted the area north of the station is currently zoned industrial-business, "and with no residential development, significant ridership for the Evergreen Line will not be generated."

In April, the city wrote its own letter to the Evergreen Line project team, the minister of transportation and the premier requesting an overpass in the vicinity of the Moody Street bridge be included in the project's overall plan.

But in the rejection letter, the minister also noted pedestrians can cross the CPR tracks at two locations near the station, while a walkway connection will be built from the station entrance to the existing Moody Street Overpass.

It's a decision that's disappointed Coun. Rick Glumac, who originally brought forward the request. Glumac argued once the station is built, there will be a huge amount of traffic heading to Rocky Point Park.

"Rocky Point Park is the biggest attraction in Port Moody, and I'm really concerned about the safety of the families going on that narrow pathway," he said.

Glumac said by not dealing with it now, the city loses the opportunity to integrate it into the Evergreen station itself.

jdeutsch@thenownews.com