Burnaby Lake-Deer Lake pedestrian bridge over Highway 1 opens this month | Daily Hive

Highway 1 pedestrian bridge linking Burnaby Lake and Deer Lake trails to open this month

February 2026 construction progress on the Burnaby Lake Overpass above Highway 1. (Jacobs Bros Construction)

Before the end of this month, a new major piece of active transportation infrastructure will open near the geographic centre of Burnaby.

The City of Burnaby announced today its new Burnaby Lake Overpass will officially open to public use on Monday, April 27, 2026.

This is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge above Highway 1, providing a seamless north-south link between Burnaby Lake Regional Park and Deer Lake Park — connecting the trails of both parks on either side of the Trans-Canada Highway, and filling a gap in the broader citywide north-south active transportation network.

You might also like:

The southernmost end of the overpass is near Claude Avenue in the Buckingham Heights neighbourhood, while the northern landing is located at the trailhead at Glencarin Drive.

“For decades, Highway 1 has cut through the city as a physical barrier, limiting how people move across it,” reads a statement by Burnaby mayor Mike Hurley today.

“The Burnaby Lake Overpass helps connect Burnaby by providing a safe, direct north-south link between Burnaby Lake and Deer Lake, while also unlocking east-west travel through the trail and neighbourhood networks on either side of the highway.”

burnaby lake overpass february 2026 construction

February 2026 construction progress on the Burnaby Lake Overpass above Highway 1. (Jacobs Bros Construction)

The bridge deck stretches 5.7 metres above the highway’s roadway, rising higher than the nearby Kensington Avenue interchange overpass crossing, which is a busy intersection with multiple merging lanes and highway ramps — considered challenging and unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists to use.

As well, the bridge deck itself is wide enough for both pedestrians and cyclists to use comfortably. During nighttime, the arched bridge structure with a partly suspended deck will be illuminated.

A total of 69 new trees have been planted to replace the 43 trees that were removed.

Construction first began in early 2024, with the project reaching a major milestone in November 2025 of lifting the bridge span into place in an overnight operation that required an extensive full closure of Highway 1 in Burnaby.

Time-lapse video from the City of Burnaby documenting last night’s feat of engineering of lifting the new pedestrian & cycling overpass bridge into place above Highway 1.

All accomplished within a few hours. #vanpoli #vanre https://t.co/5BGeMlTBhu pic.twitter.com/JbHo6gsJqZ

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) November 9, 2025

The project carries a total cost of $25 million, with the municipal, provincial, and federal governments and TransLink sharing the cost. Jacob Brothers is the project’s contractor.

Burnaby’s municipal government is currently in the early stages of planning a potential new north-south pedestrian and cyclist bridge within the Brentwood district, spanning across the busy Canadian National railway.

Further to the east along the railway corridor, there is also construction progress on the new Holdom Avenue road overpass, which will replace the nearby Douglas Road at-grade crossing and effectively improve safety and reliability. This will be a brand-new overpass with four vehicle lanes — two in each direction — and protected wide bike lanes on both roadway directions, and a dedicated pedestrian pathway. This $200-million project, led by Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, is expected to reach completion in 2027.

highway 1 burnaby lake deer lake option 1 bridge

Option 1: Artistic rendering of the pedestrian and cyclist overpass design across Highway 1 between Burnaby Lake and Deer Lake. (City of Burnaby)

Highway 1 Pedestrian Cyclist Overpass Burnaby Lake Options Map

Map showing the four location options for the Highway 1 pedestrian and cyclist overpass between Burnaby Lake and Deer Lake, with Option 1 being the location ultimately chosen. (City of Burnaby)

You might also like: