Old wooden H-frame power poles now fully removed in downtown Vancouver | Daily Hive

Old wooden H-frame power poles now fully removed across the downtown Vancouver peninsula

Before and after: H-frame removal in a downtown Vancouver laneway. (BC Hydro)

BC Hydro announced today that after 17 years, it has completed its gradual project of removing aging and outdated overhead H-frame wooden electrical structures in the laneways and other streets across the downtown Vancouver peninsula, with this electrical infrastructure now replaced by a modern underground network.

Ending a very visible era in Vancouver’s electrical infrastructure, some of these wooden structures were first installed about 80 years ago, in the 1950s, including within Gastown, Chinatown, and elsewhere in the city centre. This overhead infrastructure supported high-voltage lines and transformers within narrow laneways that have since become congested with windows, fire escapes, and other urban infrastructure.

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One of the most visible transformations occurred in 2023, when BC Hydro crews removed over 60 wooden power poles in Yaletown.

According to the electric utility, it first began the work in 2008, with crews working block by block across 80 city blocks on the peninsula — avoiding sewer, water, gas, telecommunications, and public transit infrastructure.

In total, 355 H-frames, 368 utility poles, and 346 overhead transformers were removed and replaced by a new underground system that uses a primary open-loop design, which improves reliability, reduces the risk of vandalism, and significantly reduces the footprint needed for electrical equipment. It also improves the visibility of the public spaces and buildings.

As well, electrical rooms in affected existing buildings requiring modifications were also redesigned to accommodate the new underground power connections.

Historic photo of H-frame electrical infrastructure in downtown Vancouver. (BC Hydro)

“This program was all about making Vancouver safer and future‑ready,” said Charlotte Mitha, president and CEO of BC Hydro, in a statement today.

“By moving services underground, BC Hydro has minimized safety hazards, standardized voltage supply, reduced equipment footprint and modernized hundreds of building connections, laying the foundation for future upgrades.”

BC Hydro states the project carried a total cost of $158 million, out of the electric utility’s capital plan in the tens of billions of dollars to improve the resiliency, redundancy, and capacity of the provincial grid.

The electric utility’s next major project within the downtown Vancouver peninsula will be the new West End substation — a major underground facility that will be built beneath Nelson Park, providing increased capacity and replacing the nearby aging Dal Grauer substation on Burrard Street.

Construction on the new substation is expected to begin no earlier than late 2026. BC Hydro is also funding the construction of two new elementary schools for the Vancouver School Board — a new replacement Lord Roberts Annex building after the underground substation is complete and Nelson Park is restored, and the new Seaside Elementary School in Coal Harbour, which will initially serve as a temporary replacement school capacity. Seaside Elementary School is set to open in time for the new school year in September 2026.

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