Granville Bridge's new pathways and loops demolition to proceed for $28 million

Granville Bridge's new pedestrian and cycling pathway and north loops demolition to proceed for $28 million

Granville Bridge Connector: Option 1 - West Side. (City of Vancouver)

Plans to build the Granville Street Bridge Connector’s pedestrian and cycling pathways and to demolish the bridge’s north loops are proceeding.

The outgoing makeup of Vancouver City Council is expected to approve the contract for carrying out the construction work on Tuesday, in what will be its last scheduled City Council meeting of the term.

This is a two-in-one contract for both municipal government projects that were previously separately contemplated, with the contract awarded to Pomerleau Inc. for a value of $28.2 million. This is the lowest of four bids received by the City, with the other three bids ranging between $34.6 million and $36.9 million.

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It is presumed the municipal government merged both projects together for the benefits of economies of scale in terms of construction cost, and a reduced overall construction timeline and impacts to traffic. Construction could begin as early as before the end of 2022 or early 2023.

But there will still be major traffic disruptions, as City staff in their report to City Council this week note the full width of the bridge’s north approach will be closed for six months to allow for demolition works. Two lanes of traffic will be kept open at all times throughout construction on the main bridge span.

The Granville Bridge Connector will be built on the west side of the bridge deck by repurposing two vehicle lanes and reconfiguring the bridge into six vehicle lanes (three vehicle lanes in each direction), including the measure of narrowing all remaining vehicle lanes. The interim design for the Connector will use the existing bridge deck level and install a new concrete barrier to physically separate vehicle traffic and the pedestrian and cycling pathways, while the future permanent design will establish a raised deck. As part of the interim design, new traffic signals for pedestrians and cyclists will also be added to the bridge deck for where the Connector crosses the on- and off-ramps.

Interim design of the Granville Bridge Connector. (City of Vancouver)

Interim design of the Granville Bridge Connector, September 2020. (City of Vancouver)

In September 2020, amidst the municipal government’s financial issues at the peak of the pandemic, City Council approved the Connector’s interim design project budget of $12.5 million — down from the full $25 million for the complete permanent design.

As for the demolition of Granville Bridge’s north loops — the circular on- and off-ramps between the bridge deck and Pacific Street below — this was a project first approved by the previous City Council in 2017, with a budget envelope of $18 million.

Pomerleau Inc. will not only demolish the north loops, but construct a new replacement H-shaped street grid, which will establish new city blocks and 1.9 acres of parcels for building development.

Aerial of the north loops of the Granville Street Bridge in downtown Vancouver. (Google Earth)

granville loops demolition plan granville bridge

January 2020 plan for the Granville Connector, as well as the demolition of the north loop ramps and a new H-shaped street grid. (City of Vancouver)

In July 2022, City Council approved City staff’s rezoning application to allow a high-density residential development on the City-owned properties on the footprint of the north loops.

Rising from the parcels created by the H-shaped street grid, there will be six towers, including two towers each reaching 395 ft with 40 storeys. The future development is permitted to generate up to 930,000 sq ft of total floor area, including 606,000 sq ft of strata-titled condominium uses, 126,500 sq ft of market rental housing, and 166,000 sq ft of social housing. There will be enough residential space to generate about 1,050 homes.

Another 26,000 sq ft will be for ground-level retail and restaurant space, while 5,000 sq ft will be dedicated to a childcare facility with a capacity for 37 kids.

625-777 pacific street 1390 granville street granville loops vancouver

Concept for 625-777 Pacific Street and 1390 Granville Street, replacing the north loops of the Granville Bridge in downtown. (City of Vancouver)

City staff previously indicated the significant strata-titled condominium uses in the development are intended to cover the cost of demolishing the north loops and building the new H-shaped street grid.

As for how the development will be achieved, City staff also suggested that it could be pursued by the municipal government on its own, achieved through long-term lease to a development partner, or the properties could be sold to a developer, similar to the previous practice of adjacent City-owned properties.

Granville Bridge is an extension of the Highway 99 corridor, a vital link for the regional transportation network. It normally sees an average of 65,000 vehicle crossings and 25,000 bus transit trips per day, with six bus routes running a combined total of nearly 80 buses per hour during peak periods.

Over the past few years, there have been major traffic disruptions on the bridge over a prolonged period for projects to structurally rehabilitate the crossing.

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