On Monday, Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth accompanied journalists as they descended multiple levels into the vast concrete structure that will eventually be transformed into the Broadway subway line’s Emily Carr-Northern Way station, allowing them to see the advancements made so far.
“Here we stand at one of the main entry points for the tunnel where they’re beginning to install tracks,” explained Farnworth, standing small within the massive six-meter wide concrete conduit surrounding him and flanked by two rails that will ultimately extend five kilometers westward toward Arbutus Street.
“As you can tell from the dimensions of the tunnel, this project is quite massive,” Farnworth noted.
The province mentioned that the project’s expenses have further increased, reaching $2.95 billion from the previous estimate of $2.83 billion.
The initiative aims to prolong TransLink’s Millennium Line from VCC Clark Station to Arbutus Street with the objective of alleviating traffic congestion along Broadway, which is one of Vancouver’s most heavily used transit corridors for commuters.
When finished in Fall 2027, Farnworth stated that this new line will have the capacity to transport triple the number of passengers compared to TransLink’s 99 B-Line bus route. In conjunction with the 16-kilometer extension of the Expo Line stretching from Surrey to Langley, these initiatives collectively mark a 27 percent increase in SkyTrain infrastructure.
It will represent a considerable enhancement in folks’ capacity to travel,” Farnworth stated. “On average, this will cut down commuting time by approximately 30 minutes for those traveling from more distant locations, such as areas around New Westminster and Surrey.
The tour held on Monday occurred halfway through the construction process, featuring approximately 750 workers who were at different stages of completing the six new stations for the subway line.
The consortium constructing the line comprises prominent construction companies such as the Spanish infrastructure leader Acciona and the Canadian branch of Italian tunneling specialists Ghella SpA.
In 2020, construction started with an initial target for completion in late 2025. However, a labor dispute involving workers from the concrete industry caused delays starting in 2022, which eventually extended the timeline by about 18 months as reported last year. At that time, officials stated that the project would not finish until autumn 2027.
According to Farnworth, the project continues to adhere to the updated timeline; however, this provides little solace to enterprises devastated by the subway construction.
I’ve ceased keeping track,” stated Neil Wyles, the executive director of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association, regarding the number of businesses that have shut down because of decreased accessibility around station areas. “I believe I lost count once I reached the sixties.
Farnworth asserted that the construction team has enjoyed “an excellent rapport with both the project and local businesses alongside the route. They maintain constant communication, interacting with these enterprises practically every day.”
The province’s Transportation Investment Corporation has successfully applied insights gained from previous initiatives to minimize the impact “as much as possible.”
However, Wyles stated that throughout this seven-year period marked by continuous disruptions, none of the communication or coordination between the corporation and various businesses has touched upon the subject of providing short-term compensation to those businesses.
If a parent started this project when their child was born, by the time they finished, that child would likely be entering Grade 2,” Wyles explained. “This definitely isn’t an overnight endeavor.
In Surrey, teams continue with preliminary tasks for the expansion of the Expo Line, which includes “work on utilities, managing vegetation, road improvements, and laying foundations,” as per the most recent project update.
However, Surrey commuters are now experiencing some of the project’s initial significant traffic disturbances due to a complete shutdown of Fraser Highway from 140 Street to 96 Avenue. This area is close to where the extension would begin at King George Station and Green Timbers.
Last summer, the provincial government revealed that the project’s cost estimate had surged to nearly $6 billion from approximately $4 billion at its launch.
At the upcoming Emily Carr-Great Northern Way station on the Broadway subway line, progress is nearing completion.
On Monday’s visit, employees at one end of the lengthy four-block construction area were actively dismantling piles of scaffold components from atop the station’s concrete structure prior to its filling. This preparatory work is essential as it paves the way for an extensive project planned above ground level.
On the opposite side, where the 700-metre-long guide-way extending from VCC Clark Station gradually descends towards the underground entry point, workers are installing countless rail pads designed to secure the steel tracks onto the concrete foundation below.
The rails are being joined together into lengths ranging from 400 meters to 700 meters, which are subsequently positioned using an apparatus known as a speed swing, according to Farnworth. So far, the track has been laid out from the Great Northern Way station all the way to the Broadway City Hall station.
“It will be fantastic once it’s completed,” stated Wyles at the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association.
Meanwhile, though, “a significant number of companies have departed, and many others are barely hanging on,” he noted additionally.
depenner@postmedia.com
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