Multiple months-long roadwork projects begin in downtown Vancouver
Credit to Author: Stephanie Ip| Date: Mon, 06 Jan 2020 22:00:46 +0000
If you frequent downtown Vancouver, there are a few roadwork projects you should know about.
Beginning Jan. 6, construction crews will take over sections of two major downtown corridors — Richards Street and West Georgia — to install new bike lanes and greenery, and conduct much-needed water main replacement.
Another project will also see waterproof membrane installed in a structure along Howe and Georgia.
Here’s what you need to know about the major roadwork projects beginning on Monday.
Where: Richards Street will be impacted between Cordova and Pacific streets.
When: The work begins Monday, Jan. 6, and continues through to an undetermined date in spring 2021. The first phase from Cordova to Nelson will undergo work from January 2020 to the summer of this year, while the section from Nelson to Pacific will undergo work from summer 2020 to spring 2021.
The Richards Street project will see the installation of storm water tree trenches that would help 100 soon-to-be planted trees flourish as part of the urban forest. The corridor will also see the introduction of protected intersections, reconstructed traffic signals, sidewalk improvements, street repaving, installation of two new Mobi bike share stations and one block of sewer upgrades.
The new north-south bike lane will connect False Creek to Gastown, based on public feedback collected in 2018. With the new bike lane, vehicle volumes would remain the same and 15 per cent of street parking would be lost on Richards.
Work will be done in four- to five-block segments over two phases, with work starting first between Cordova and Nelson. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in the areas near construction.
Where: West Georgia will be impacted between Thurlow and Howe streets.
When: The water main replacement begins Jan. 6 and must be complete by April 2020, in time for the annual Vancouver Sun Run on April 19.
A water main along West Georgia will receive a much-needed replacement this year. The main was first installed nearly 100 years ago, has reached the end of its service life and suffers regular breaks. A total of 375 metres of new water main will be installed in three parts in the impacted stretch of the corridor, and will last another 100 years.
In the impacted areas, a minimum of three traffic lanes will be kept open wherever construction is taking place. Two of those lanes will be westbound and one will be eastbound. During rush hours, up to four lanes will be made available, with two lanes headed in each direction. As construction is completed, lanes will be reopened when possible.
Where: Howe Street will be impacted between Dunsmuir and Georgia; Georgia Street will be impacted between Granville and Howe.
When: Howe Street will undergo work from February to May, at which point the work will move to Georgia Street and continue until November.
Cadillac Fairview, the company that manages Pacific Centre, will begin waterproofing membrane installation along Howe and Georgia streets, to protect the structure that supports the roadways.
For the Howe Street work, two lanes southbound will be closed to allow room for the work to take place. On Georgia Street, the work will take place in two parts — the southern half and the northern half — with a minimum of one lane in each direction kept open at all times of the construction.