Engagement occurred April-May 2021 and November-December 2020. All information is still available for viewing.
About the Virtual Open Houses
Two virtual open houses were held to present the draft designs for the above-ground portions of the future stations, including entrances, adjacent plazas, emergency exits and ventilation locations, landscaping, available information on station art, next steps for construction, and information on how to stay involved. Feedback received was provided as input to the City of Vancouver’s design advisory process and considered in finalizing the stations’ designs.
The purpose of the first open house was to share information and receive feedback on the above-ground portions of the stations, including station entrance buildings, adjacent plazas, emergency exits and ventilation locations.
This second open house is being held to present and seek comments on proposed final designs, including additional information on landscaping and on station art.
Input is provided as part of the City’s design advisory process to contribute towards the urban integration of the stations and will be considered in finalizing the above-ground portions of the station designs.
The designs for the underground portions of the stations are now final. Station designs have been informed by past consultations, including Project consultation conducted by TransLink and the City of Vancouver in 2017.
All of this input was used to develop criteria that has informed the design of the stations. This includes escalators in both directions, elevators, and safety and security measures.
The South Granville Station entrance building is fully integrated within a new development already under construction and approved through the City of Vancouver’s development permit process, which included an opportunity for public engagement. As such, most of the station entrance features have already been determined through that process.
Communications and engagement are key aspects of the Project and will be ongoing throughout construction.
The Project team continues working closely with residents, local businesses, schools and health services along the alignment.
Consistent with all SkyTrain station upgrades, escalators will be available in both directions (up and down) for ease of passenger movement to and from the trains at all stations.
The design of the new stations for the Broadway Subway Project follow TransLink’s policies.
This means up and down escalators and elevators at each station, with an extra elevator at Broadway City-Hall where there is a connection to the Canada Line and more elevator capacity is needed.
Room for future additional elevators has also been accommodated at the Oak-VGH and Arbutus stations.
The stations will provide accessible, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) enabled fare gates (i.e., hands-free gate access for eligible customers with disabilities), accessible ticket vending machines, and barrier-free elevator access.
Tactile tiles will be incorporated at all stations for passenger safety and to support those with visual impairments.
Stations will incorporate a clear and audible public address system to support those with auditory impairments.
The stations are designed to accommodate peak passenger flow volumes. Key features include:
Station plazas will support efficient passenger movements in all directions.
Accessible fare gates and ticket vending machines will be located to minimize congestion and avoid cross-flows.
Multiple escalators will be provided in both directions to each platform.
Areas in front of escalators, elevators and stairs will allow sufficient queuing for the safety and comfort of passengers.
Clear sight lines and right-hand flow movements will minimize cross-flows and other obstructions.
Specific to Broadway-City Hall Station, the majority of passengers currently using the street level entrance at the existing Broadway-City Hall Station are transferring to and from the 99 B-Line. Once the extension replaces the 99 B-Line, most of these above-ground transfers will discontinue. It’s estimated 75% of Canada Line and new Millennium Line passengers will transfer underground.
The new stations on the Broadway Subway Project will have single occupancy washrooms accessible from the public areas of the stations with the assistance of a SkyTrain attendant, similar to the existing situation throughout the SkyTrain network.
The design and construction of the stations for the Broadway Subway Project follow TransLink’s policies on washrooms.
The Broadway-City Hall Station, as a future major transit exchange, and Arbutus Station, as a future interim terminus station, will be built to accommodate accessible washrooms in the fare paid zone in the future, should TransLink’s current policy change.
Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station and Arbutus Station will provide indoor bike parkades, with capacity for 34 bikes at each station.
Mount Pleasant Station, Broadway-City Hall Station and Oak-VGH Station will have 12 bike racks available outside each station.
Trees and landscaping will be coordinated with the City of Vancouver’s Broadway Street Re design Process.
The Project is committed to replacing the street trees impacted by construction.
Additional planters, benches and stormwater retention will be incorporated where space permits.
Art is a key component of the SkyTrain system and is featured at many stations and/or station plazas along the SkyTrain alignment and at all existing Millennium Line stations.
All six new stations will incorporate art.
Artists have been commissioned to create public artworks at Great Northern Way-Emily Carr, Mount Pleasant, Broadway-City Hall, and South Granville stations.
The project team is working directly with Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh Nations to support a separate, parallel process in relation to Indigenous art and cultural recognition across the six stations with prominent Indigenous artworks planned for Great Northern Way-Emily Carr, Oak-VGH and Arbutus stations.
Indigenous art features are still to be determined in consultation with these Nations.
See the Open House #2 display boards that indicate the proposed locations of public art in the stations.
General Broadway Subway Project
The 99 B-Line route is one of the busiest bus routes in North America and can no longer effectively meet demand. Buses get caught in traffic congestion and people are often passed up by full buses.
The Broadway Subway Project will replace the 99 B-Line service, with capacity to move three times as many people, and with greater reliability, as population and employment in this area continue to grow.
Once in service, the trip from VCC-Clark to Arbutus will take 11 minutes, saving the average transit commuter almost 30 minutes a day and relieving congestion along Broadway.
As an extension of the Millennium Line, it will connect seamlessly to the wider SkyTrain network, including Expo and Canada Lines, and will integrate with the regional bus network.
This will make it easier to live, work, travel, shop and access services along the Broadway Corridor, adding to regional livability.
The Broadway Subway Project will be mainly constructed by underground tunneling methods.
Twin tunnels with an excavation diameter of 6 metres will be built using two tunnel boring machines.
The Project will also include 700 metres of elevated guideway from VCC-Clark Station to a tunnel portal near Great Northern Way Area.
There will be street-level excavation in station blocks. Traffic decking will be installed to ensure traffic continues to flow over construction in a consistent at-grade traffic configuration.
Best efforts are made to mitigate construction impacts. However, typical things to expect for a construction project of this size and scope are: noise, vibration, lane closures, Arbutus and Central Valley Greenway detours, parking changes, excavation and utility works.
The Project team aims to complete most work during the day. Wherever possible, noisier activities will happen during daytime hours. Some work, however, needs to occur at night to reduce traffic disruption and the tunnel boring operation is expected to be 24/7.
Access will be maintained to all residences, businesses and services on Broadway throughout construction.
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