Busy and dilapidated sidewalk at Canada Place to finally be rebuilt

The poor condition of Howe Street's east sidewalk at Canada Place, as of February 29, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Howe Street’s decades-old east sidewalk between Canada Place and West Cordova Street is one of the busiest pedestrian thoroughfares in Vancouver.

It is one of the main pedestrian links to reach the Canada Place cruise ship terminal, Vancouver Convention Centre, and various hotels and other attractions located in and around the Coal Harbour waterfront area.

This is a stretch of sidewalk frequented by tourists, and it is one of the areas where such visitors, including many cruise ship passengers, get some of their first impressions of Vancouver.

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This prominent sidewalk is immediately adjacent to the PricewaterhouseCoopers tower and Miku Restaurant, and it is also the location of Waterfront Skytrain Station’s Howe Street entrance and the area’s major taxi zone.

The poor condition of Howe Street’s east sidewalk at Canada Place. (Google Maps)

The poor condition of Howe Street’s east sidewalk at Canada Place, as of February 29, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

But this sidewalk on the 200 block of Howe Street frequented by visitors and event attendees has been in very rough shape for many years now. There are damaged sections of tinted concrete and cracks in the ceramic tiles, as well as missing tiles, with gaps in the tiles filled in by asphalt over the years.

The existing sidewalk design is part of the original continuous public realm design of the wider Canada Place precinct.

The City of Vancouver told Daily Hive Urbanized today the entire east sidewalk of Howe Street between the Canada Place vehicle ramp and West Cordova Street will be fully removed for a complete reconstruction with a new design. When complete, there will be a new concrete sidewalk with sandblasted decorative banding.

This work also includes repairs to the underlying viaduct, as this section of Howe Street and Canada Place Way is supported by elevated bridge structures.

The poor condition of Howe Street’s east sidewalk at Canada Place, as of February 29, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The poor condition of Howe Street’s east sidewalk at Canada Place, as of February 18, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The removal, repair, and reconstruction work will begin in March and reach completion in June of this year. Site preparation in advance of the start of this work has already begun, including the removal of the Mobi bike share station.

“The City is repairing the east sidewalk in the 200 block of Howe Street to maintain infrastructure and improve public safety,” states the municipal government.

“There should be no impact to vehicle traffic. The work will be phased to minimize disruption.”

Pedestrian access will be maintained, although there will be some detours around the work areas. Access to Waterfront Station’s Howe Street entrance will see a short disruption mid-way in the construction process, and the taxi zone located next to this sidewalk will be temporarily moved to the 300 block of Howe Street (immediately to the south) during the first month of work.

The City states it is coordinating the work with TransLink, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Downtown Van (the local business improvement association), and Cadillac Fairview (owner of the adjacent office towers).

The timeline for this project overlaps with the first few months of the 2024 cruise ship season at Canada Place.

Earlier today, the City also indicated work on fixing the roadway pavers of Maple Tree Square on Water Street in Gastown will begin next week and continue through June 2024, just in time for Water Street’s car-free pilot project over the summer. Traffic route changes in and around Gastown will be in effect over the next months.

The poor condition of Howe Street’s east sidewalk at Canada Place, as of February 29, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

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