Vancouver council set to make final decision to tear down Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts in September
Posted July 15, 2015 3:03 pm.
Last Updated July 15, 2015 3:22 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts will likely be torn down, that’s what the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (BIA) tells NEWS 1130 it has been informed by City Hall.
So how would your commute into the city centre change?
Georgia Street would be brought down to an expanded Pacific Boulevard with a schematic Charles Gauthier with the BIA calls similar to Cambie Street leading into downtown.
“The Georgia Street Viaduct would be removed and replaced with what we call a regular network,” he tells NEWS 1130.
Gauthier says the Dunsmuir Viaduct would be replaced by what the city is calling an “active transportation bridge” for pedestrians and cyclists only.
“Thankfully, we have a lot of different ways of getting into the downtown, even with the replacement of the viaducts with the new Georgia Street,” he points out. “You can still get into Downtown on Pender and Hastings and a variety of other options that you can use.”
While it may tick off drivers, he believes the move will clear the way for beneficial new development north of False Creek.
The City says only 10 per cent of downtown traffic uses the viaducts, but its own projections show congestion may be created on Expo and Pacific Boulevards by removing the viaducts.
Council is expected to make a final decision when a report comes back in September.
