Granville Bridge Interim Connector and North Loops Reconfiguration Project

In 2022, Pomerleau was awarded a contract with the City of Vancouver for its important Granville Bridge Interim Connector and North Loops Reconfiguration Project. 

Originally built in 1954, the Granville Bridge is an eight-lane bridge over False Creek in Vancouver’s downtown core and a major gateway to and from downtown Vancouver. The bridge was originally designed to connect future high-speed and high-volume freeways that were never constructed. On a typical weekday, the bridge has over 65,000 motor vehicles and over 25,000 trips on 6 bus routes, with almost 80 buses per hour during peak periods.  

Improving walking and cycling conditions over the Granville Bridge have long been identified as a city council priority for the City of Vancouver, and Pomerleau is pleased to be building this first phase of the larger Granville Connector Project with the installation of new pedestrian and cyclist connections across the Granville Bridge, alterations to the bridge deck, and deconstructing the northern loops. 

The bridge’s central median will be removed, the deck of the bridge will be altered to reallocate safe spaces and connections for pedestrians, cyclists, and road vehicles, and the northern loops, originally intended as highway offramps, will be deconstructed. Proper curb ramps, intersections, better traffic routing on the bridge, replacing the loops with a new street network along Pacific Avenue will all contribute to an attractive, usable, and safe space for decades to come.  

With construction beginning in the Fall of 2023 and completion expected in late 2024, this project is an important phase in improving Granville Bridge’s accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists, for improved movement around Vancouver right through to the Fraser River, and for future development of the area. 

• Using an innovative, mobile pulverizer to deconstruct the northern loops to be able to efficiently transport the rubble off-site for recycling.

• The bridge’s central median will be removed, and the deck of the bridge will be altered to reallocate two vehicle lanes as safe spaces and connections for pedestrians and cyclists, and the northern loops, originally intended as highway offramps, will be deconstructed.

• Infilling the area under the old superstructure.

• Improved, accessible entry points to the bridge system for pedestrians and cyclists. 

• Re-working the intersections and roadways along Pacific Ave to facilitate better movement of traffic and to lay the groundwork for future development in the area. 

• Installation of new sanitary and water lines to facilitate future development.

• The machine being used in the deconstruction of the Granville Loops and other infrastructure is a mobile pulverizer, which has powerful jaws which can chew through the concrete and steel, after which the rubble can then be easily transported off-site for recycling.

• Removing the loops and filling in the area underneath the old superstructure will also reduce maintenance materials and costs in the future and make the area more seismically secure.

• Construction will have no impact on marine navigation in False Creek. 

• One of the primary goals of the project is to support the City of Vancouver’s climate emergency efforts by enabling more trips via sustainable transportation, make walking, rolling, and cycling across the bridge accessible, safe, and comfortable for all ages and abilities, and to provide direct and intuitive walking, rolling, and cycling connections to key destinations and the sustainable transportation network.

Logistical and Regional Challenges 

• Originally designed for high-volume freeways that were never constructed, the north Granville loops had to be removed to support the creation of a new street network on the north end of the bridge 

• The freeway-style design presents significant safety and accessibility challenges for today’s urban context 

• Two lanes of traffic will be retained in both directions on Granville Bridge throughout construction 

• Excavating and installing new deep utilities within the downtown core whilst maintaining access to surrounding businesses and residential towers. 

Hazardous Materials 

• Removal and disposal of asphalt containing asbestos from the North Granville Loops, while maintaining the safety of the downtown residents and users.