Time for Vancouver to Tear Down Its Viaducts?

[spm2013]

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[makr3trkr]

Originally Posted by spm2013

The Western end of the Dunsmuir viaduct is going to remain. They want to turn Dunsmuir into a two-way road east of Howe. And then the other end it could connect to the new Pacific Blvd. Or they could just make it a one way road. Enter on Georgia and exit on Dunsmuir.

What is interesting is that they show it just kind of terminating in the middle of the existing pedestrian plaza outside the stadium.

Where is it going to "touch down" ... it isn't shown as intersecting with either Expo, or Abbott St, but kind of between them.





It seems pretty vague/unresolved. Is Expo going to dead end? Is there going to be yet another intersection that isn't shown?

[spm2013]

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[officedweller]

Originally Posted by spm2013

The road will just end probably end at Citadel Parade and then the rest of it will be for pedestrians/cyclists. And then some ramp/stairs down to Chinatown where the road terminates. I don't see them changing the configuration of Expo/Abbott.

I think that's right.
It makes sense to retain pedestrian access to Rogers Arena on the upper level.
Everything shown in pink on that map is lower level, not upper level.
The City also wanted a bikeway to connect to the Dunsmuir bike lanes.

Here's how the lower road system will operate.
Expo Blvd west of the megaroad, and Pacific Blvd west of Georgia will remain one way streets as they are now.



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[Zassk]

The city spent a fortune on that extra-wide pedestrian overpass over Carrall St in Andy Livingstone park - and barely 20 years later they are going to tear it down? What a colossal waste.

[officedweller]

The re-alligned Carrall St. also seems to encroach on the baseball diamond.

[trofirhen]

The new Georgia - Pacific Bvd intersection seems a bit better in that all entries and exits to Georgia are from / to the east only, but that's still a lot of traffic lights where there weren't any before, along that new piece of Pacific Bvd.

I just wonder if and how much this is going to slow things down and create possible gridlock.

It would be an ultimate irony if, in 20 years, another city council decided to reinstall a new set of different ramps to relieve existing Pacif Bvd gridlock!

[spm2013]

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[jbrizzy]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The re-alligned Carrall St. also seems to encroach on the baseball diamond.

Not only that but the megaroad encroaches on the field and goes right over the fieldhouse.. The city seems to be completely ignoring this and what's going to happen to probably the most used athletic field in the city.

[spm2013]

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[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Zassk

The city spent a fortune on that extra-wide pedestrian overpass over Carrall St in Andy Livingstone park - and barely 20 years later they are going to tear it down? What a colossal waste.

Which is what bothers me most about all of this. Commonsense and cost seem to have completely been steamrollered by ideology.

Most of the pro-viaduct posters have said let the viaducts live out their normal lifespan and by then transportation options will have caught up to demand. Instead Vision Vancouver seems rushing pell mell to do this for no rational reason.

[theKB]

Originally Posted by Zassk

The city spent a fortune on that extra-wide pedestrian overpass over Carrall St in Andy Livingstone park - and barely 20 years later they are going to tear it down? What a colossal waste.

See what you are missing is that any infrastructure whether car related or not is not part of Vancouver's "Greenest city 2020" initiative. Only infrastructure installed or explicitly approved by Vision Vancouver will help meet these goals.

[spm2013]

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[Jebby]

Originally Posted by spm2013

What will happen to the hobos living under the overpass?

The city will surely buy them a nice new condo.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by spm2013

What will happen to the hobos living under the overpass?

That's what the Powell Street construction is for.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by spm2013

One week until Carmageddon North, I can hardly contain my excitement.

Well we've had a full week since Labour Day now, and I haven't seen or heard about any horror stories related to the Powell Street closure. What's the scoop?

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Well we've had a full week since Labour Day now, and I haven't seen or heard about any horror stories related to the Powell Street closure. What's the scoop?

Nothing? Well I guess it must be yet another example of "Carmaggedon" failing to materialize.

And here's the latest Chicken Little story from the Province:

Brace for a bumpy ride: Major traffic congestion expected in downtown

Prepare yourself for what could be ‘Carmageddon.’

The city of Vancouver is set for some serious congestion beginning this weekend and into the work week, as major routes in and around downtown play host to various construction projects.

[spm2013]

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[Prometheus]

Here is an excerpt from an article in Business In Vancouver discussing the expected slowdown in the downtown office market and some of its likely causes. One of the potential causes discussed is access to the downtown core:

Metro Vancouver braces for slowdown in local office market

By Peter Mitham
Tue Oct 8, 2013


Vancouverites aren’t limited to cars when it comes to commuting.

That’s the good news.

But the city’s road projects are the stuff of nightmares.

Jeff Rank of Bentall Kennedy termed viaduct removal “the elephant in the room” when it comes to where companies want to locate – without a fail-safe plan for eastern access to the downtown peninsula, he warned that the city could see office tenants opt to relocate outside the core.

Similarly, reconfiguration of roadways at the south foot of the Burrard Street bridge as well as plans for Point Grey Road are “a nightmare” in Taylor’s words.

“That’s the sole purpose of it,” he said, “to make driving a car difficult.”

While transit connections have helped reduce vehicle use, cars clearly can’t be ruled out entirely for workers who have ground to cover.

Read full article here: http://www.biv.com/article/20131008/BIV0...aces-for-slowdown-in-local-office-market

[SFUVancouver]

^ I think that they are on the mark regarding the current round of office construction outpacing demand. It will be some time before we see a comparable amount of new construction under way simultaneously. I also agree that the future of the viaducts and skepticism about the ability of Pacific Boulevard to take up the slack are likely very real concerns for those in the leasing world.

I disagree that the redesign of the south end of the Burrard Bridge poses any threat at all to the future of office development downtown. The redesigned intersection will be more efficient at moving people and vehicles than the awkward multi-stage intersection that is there now. I wouldn't be surprised if Jeff Rank and his prognosticating colleagues live in Point Grey or Dunbar and drive to work via Point Grey Road, Cornwall, and the Burrard Bridge and are concerned about impacts on their personal commutes while simultaneously harbouring frustration with people who cycle and the Vision Vancouver Council. It is valid to be concerned but, I think, a bit of a stretch to say that it will affect the viability of office growth in the core. If businesses move out or chose not to locate there because of the Burrard Bridge and Point Grey Road, well, commutes form Point Grey and Dunbar to Burnaby, Richmond, etc., are going to be a whole lot worse than having to deal with - perhaps - a few minutes' difference on a commute downtown. Executive residences are a powerful locational factor; Pitney Bowes Canada famously set up its headquarters in Toronto in the Yorkville neighbourhood near Bloor and Yonge, not because it was at the intersection of two subway lines, but because it was within walking distance of the President's Rosedale home. Weeks after his retirement, the Board of Directors announced the firm was relocating to somewhere in the 905, well away from subways and all but impossible to reach without a car.