City of Vancouver stops paving work on the Arbutus Corridor

Plans to build a temporary asphalt pathway along the entire stretch of the Arbutus Corridor have been put to a halt after residents in the area made complaints.

In an email, the City of Vancouver told Daily Hive that paving has stopped after City officials met with two separate community groups on Thursday evening when residents in the area expressed their concerns about the pathway.

See also

• Arbutus Corridor to be temporarily paved with asphalt pathway
• City of Vancouver buys Arbutus Corridor for $55 million
• Why light rail transit is needed on the Arbutus Corridor

City crews began performing grading and paving work on the Corridor in late-July, just weeks after Canadian Pacific (CP) had finished its railway deconstruction process ahead of schedule. The pathway is four metres wide and is intended for both cycling and walking purposes.

The section of the former railway Corridor from West 16th Avenue to West 25th Avenue has already been fully paved, and crews will now work on paving the section between West 25th Avenue and West 33rd Avenue, which is currently partially paved.

However, for now, there are no plans to pave any other span of the Corridor. Instead, the remaining spans from West 10th Avenue to West 16th Avenue and West 33rd Avenue to West 41st Avenue will be levelled and graded only.

The City says it will engage in a public engagement process next month on the temporary pathway, in addition to the public consultation process on the permanent greenway to be built in the years to come.

Jerry Dobrovolny, General Manager of Engineering Services for the City of Vancouver, initially said the City began constructing the pathway because it wanted the public to be able to immediately use and enjoy the space.

The consultation phase for the permanent greenway is expected to begin this fall and last for two years. Early estimates peg the construction of the greenway between $25 million and $30 million.

The municipal government purchased the Arbutus Corridor from CP this past spring for $55 million plus a portion of any revenues from any redevelopment.

Image: Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive

Image: Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive

Image: Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive