Councillors vote to demolish to make way for housing.
Vancouver city councillors have voted to tear down the viaducts connecting downtown to False Creek.
The $300 million project, which was initially estimated at $70 million, will involve demolishing the viaducts that were built in 1972 and replacing them with a new six-lane road configuration that merges Expo and Pacific boulevards.
They will also build 2,500 affordable and market value housing units, a 13-acre expansion of Creekside Park, a bike bridge on Dunsmuir that connects to the escarpment, and a five per cent grade ramp at the end of Georgia Street between Rogers Arena and B.C. Place that leads to Pacific Boulevard.
As well, contaminated soil that still remains in False Creek from the area’s heavily industrial past must be taken care of.
“With the housing crisis that we face, it seems crazy that we would spend tens of millions of dollars to keep an elevated freeway in place on top of acres of city land rather than focus on housing for residents who need it,” Mayor Gregor Robertson said in the council meeting.
“I don’t think we would build anything like the viaducts if we were given that option from scratch today and I think we’re ready to make the change that makes sense for the neighbourhoods.”
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