Construction begins on Broadway Subway's elevated track

Artistic rendering of the elevated guideway in the False Creek Flats for SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway Extension. (Government of BC)

A major milestone in the Broadway Subway project was reached today, as construction has officially commenced on the elevated guideway segment that runs through the False Creek Flats.

While the 5.7-km-long SkyTrain extension of the Millennium Line is largely underground, it also entails a not insignificant 700-metre long elevated segment running between VCC-Clark Station and the area immediately next to Emily Carr University of Art and Design (ECUAD).

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Contractors began their work today on drilling piles for the foundations of 21 columns that will support the elevated guideway, which will be finished with the installation of horizontal supports and slabs.

This elevated guideway segment is expected to reach completion by the end of 2022.

broadway subway skytrain elevated guideway

Footprint of the SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway Extension’s elevated guideway, tunnel boring pit, and Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station in the False Creek Flats. (Government of BC)

Artistic rendering of the Broadway Subway’s elevated guideway in the False Creek Flats. (Government of BC)

The tunnel portal for the subway is located immediately north of ECUAD, where the elevated guideway transitions into an underground alignment for the remainder of the new route.

Excavation is currently well underway for both the tunnel portal and the tunnel boring pit, which will double as the underground volume for Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station.

The assembly and launch of twin tunnel boring machines (TBMs) is scheduled for the middle of 2022, with the tunnel boring machines arriving at the five subway stations under Broadway between Summer 2022 and the middle of 2023.

broadway subway tunnel boring great northern way emily carr station september 2021

Excavation for the SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway Extension’s tunnel portal, tunnel boring pit, and Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station, as of September 2021. (Government of BC)

great northern way-emily carr station broadway subway tunnel boring

Artistic rendering of the Broadway Subway’s tunnel boring staging area at the intersection of Great Northern Way and Thornton Street, where Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station will be located. (Government of BC)

The traffic decks for the five subway stations on Broadway are expected to reach completion by early 2022, allowing for four-lane vehicle traffic capacity to be retained throughout most of the subway’s construction timeline. This allows for the excavation and construction of the underground station structures while retaining vehicle traffic flow above.

Mount Pleasant Station’s traffic deck construction is now most advanced, given that it will be the first station to see the TBMs pass through.

Sometime in Summer 2023, the tunnel boring machines will be disassembled and removed from an excavation pit on the city block just east of Arbutus Station’s footprint.

The $2.8-billion Millennium Line extension is expected to open in late 2025, providing a 12-minute train ride from Arbutus Station to Commercial-Broadway Station, with trains running as frequently as every three to four minutes during peak hours.

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