City of Burnaby to install special lighting on 5 km of SkyTrain Expo Line

Oct 2 2021, 2:57 am

An extensive public space upgrade is moving forward for the elevated guideway of SkyTrain Expo Line within Burnaby.

The municipal government is planning to spend $9.8 million to install new permanent special lighting that illuminates the underside of the elevated guideway between Patterson Station and Edmonds Station — a total distance of just under five km.

This accent lighting would be installed onto the columns that support the elevated guideway — similar to the City of Coquitlam’s lighting underneath the elevated guideway of the Millennium Line Evergreen Extension along North Road and Pinetree Way, and the City of Richmond’s lighting for the Canada Line along No. 3 Road.

Burnaby City Council is expected to approve a contract award next week to Bay Hill Contracting for the first phase of work between Patterson Station and Metrotown Station, worth $3.45 million. Under the contract, their work fully covers all aspects of the project, including designing, engineering, supplying, and installation.

The city stipulates special attention must be provided for the digital lighting abilities between Metrotown Station and just east of Royal Oak Station, which forms a part of Burnaby’s Urban Creative Corridor — the span of the Metrotown Downtown area along Beresford Avenue that is activated by public art.

As negotiated by the city during rezoning, new building developments along Beresford Street near Metrotown Station have been incorporating significant works of public art on or facing the street. The illumination of the SkyTrain columns and guideway would complement the area’s growing number of art works, with lighting on this specific section required to have added projection features such as the ability to program and change the colours and patterns to allow for customized and thematic effects, based on theme, season, holiday, or event.

nighttime lighting installation projection

Example of digital nighttime projections under the SkyTrain Expo Line elevated guideway within the Urban Creative Corridor. (City of Burnaby)

As well, the lights within the Urban Creative Corridor could potentially be projected onto BC Parkway’s pedestrian and cycling pathways, too.

“This walkable corridor will become a venue for urban arts related events, productions, displays, performances and installations that are ‘distance compliant’ while providing fully immersive and memorable experiences to community members and visitors to Burnaby,” reads the city’s project description.

“Accessible to all ages and abilities, the Burnaby Urban Creative Corridor leverages the power of creative arts and artistic expression to build an engaged, prosperous and more vibrant community in the heart of South Burnaby.”

skytrain expo line burnaby lighting

Diagram of special lighting infrastructure under SkyTrain Expo Line elevated guideway. (City of Burnaby)

skytrain millennium line coqutlam pinetree way lighting

Example of special lighting underneath the SkyTrain Millennium Line guideway in Coquitlam. (City of Coquitlam)

The contractor is required to complete the first lighting span from Metrotown Station to Willingdon Avenue by December 22, 2021, just before Christmas. Under the same contract, two other spans from Patterson Station to Willingdon Avenue and Metrotown Station to Imperial Street have a completion deadline by April 8, 2022.

For the remaining spans, city staff are aiming to cover the costs under the forthcoming 2022-2026 capital plan. The span from Imperial Street to Royal Oak Station would reach completion by June 17, 2022 at a cost of $1.4 million, and the final span from Royal Oak Station to Edmonds Station by January 31, 2023 at a cost of $4.9 million.

Once fully complete, the entire installation would also serve to provide BC Parkway’s pathways with an aesthetic and nighttime safety improvement.

Over the years, Burnaby has also made some public realm improvements to the Lougheed Highway median used by Millennium Line guideway in the Brentwood area.

Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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