The City of Vancouver has recently begun repairs to the Grandview Viaduct. The scope of the work is limited only to maintainance items such as railing and structural steelwork repairs, sidewalk replacement and other structural repairs. The work is expected to last until the summer of 2025.
As part of the reconstruction work, the City of Vancouver had an opportunity to address gaps in the active transportation network on the Eastside, but chose not to act. Pedestrians and cyclists both use this key east-west transportation corridor. Why did the improvements not extent to improving safety for cyclists on this key route? Why was there no consultation on the repairs to the Grandview Viaduct? There had been extensive consultation for other projects such as the Granville Street Bridge that ended up with upgrades for active transportation.
The City has posted additional information on this project on their website at vancouver.ca/grandview-viaduct. There was an invitation for tenders for construction services that provides more details on the scope of the rehabilitation project (tender was open April 29, 2024 and closed June 21, 2024).
The Grandview Heritage Group has a very detailed article with more historical information about how the viaduct was first built: The Viaduct That Saved Grandview (1938).
Currently half of the Grandview Viaduct has been closed to traffic (one lane of traffic in both directions and one sidewalk are open). There will also be disruptions on the streets going under the viaduct (Vernon Drive and Glen Drive). Glen Drive is the only way for vehicles to exit the Home Depot location to the south of the viaduct.
Resources
