Major construction to start at 6 new stations along Vancouver's Broadway subway expansion

Major construction is scheduled to start this spring on the 5.7-kilometre Broadway extension of Vancouver's Millennium SkyTrain Line, the federal minister of Infrastructure and Communities said in a written release Thursday,

The first phase will include building a traffic deck which is a temporary road surface made from steel plates that are supported by vertical columns beneath. The deck will provide a flat surface to allow traffic to flow while crews work on deep underground excavations. The installation of the decking will run until early 2022, according to the ministry.

The sites of six new stations on the extension of the Millennium Line from VCC-Clark station to Broadway and Arbutus have been cleared in recent months in preparation for construction.

Later in the year, work will begin on tunnel portals that will provide access for transit users to the underground sections of the stations.

"This project will help reduce traffic congestion, commute times and air pollution, while keeping pace with the city's growing population," Infrastructure Minster Catherine McKenna said her statement.

Once built, the Broadway subway will allow residents to travel from VCC-Clark station to the Arbutus station in 11 minutes — which will save transit users almost 30 minutes a day.

Each station will also feature original works of art with prominent Indigenous artworks being planned for three stations.

"Groundbreaking on the Broadway Subway is an important milestone," said Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart. "As Metro Vancouver's second-largest employment centre, the Broadway corridor helps generate $14 billion in gross domestic product that will power our economy for decades to come."

The Broadway subway project will cost a total of $2.83 billion, with financial support from both the federal and provincial government and the City of Vancouver, the release said.

"This is an exciting milestone for a critical infrastructure project that will transform the way people travel in and around the Broadway corridor and create good-paying jobs to support B.C.'s economic recovery," said B.C.'s Minster of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming.

The project is also being built under the community benefits agreement which will give Indigenous peoples, women and other under-represented groups a chance to have a career in construction.