Granville Street Bridge undergoing $34-million seismic upgrade

Aug 3 2019, 5:13 am

Rehabilitation construction of the Granville Street Bridge is slated to become more visible, according to the City of Vancouver today in an update on the project.

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Work is being undertaken to maintain the 1954-built, 537-metre-long bridge’s structural integrity and improve its seismic resilience.

Construction began last fall, mainly on the underside of the structure at the northern end, but beginning later this month this work will shift to the southern end, followed by the span hovering over the False Creek waterway.

This work, ending in 2021, involves replacing bearings and expansion joints, and repairing concrete and steel.

Contrary to recent reports of falling bridge debris onto Granville Island, the city says it has not found any debris falling from the bridge’s girders, and this was also confirmed by the operations coordinator for the island.

The project carries a cost of about $34 million, with $23.8 million from the municipal government’s capital plan and another $10.6 million from TransLink.

Outside of this project scope, there are future plans to demolish the two loops connecting with Pacific Boulevard at the northern end of the bridge and the conversion of some bridge lanes into an elevated public space with pedestrian and cycling paths.

And later this fall, the underside of the northern end of the bridge will be activated by the completion of the Vancouver House tower redevelopment, which entails significant new restaurant and retail spaces — including London Drugs and Fresh St. Market — and public realm treatments.

Approximately 65,000 vehicles use this crossing on a daily basis on average.

Granville Street Bridge bike lane

January 2019 artistic rendering of the Granville Bridge retrofitted with a new centre bike and walking path. (City of Vancouver)

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Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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