Vancouver council talking about Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts’ future

Discussions about the fate of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts are taking a step forward.

Vision Vancouver councillor Geoff Meggs has brought forward a motion on notice, which seeks to direct staff to study the costs and benefits of removing the twin overpasses.

Meggs’s motion also instructs staff to include in its study the “financial impact, the consequences for managing contaminated soils, urban design considerations, and the need to assure appropriate transportation connections, especially for goods movement,” if the viaducts are torn down.

The motion is part of council’s agenda for its Tuesday (November 17) meeting.

Former councillor Jim Green earlier suggested the conversion of the overpasses into aboveground green spaces, much like New York City’s famed High Line, a park that was built on unused, elevated rail tracks.

When reached for comment, Green wasn’t aware of Meggs’s motion. Today (November 13), Green told the Straight that he’s going to recommend to Meggs a change in the wording of the motion to include the possibility of retaining the viaducts for nonvehicle use.

Olympic security officials have scheduled to close the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts from February 5 to March 2.

According to Green, the temporary closure will provide an idea of how traffic patterns and the city could fare without the viaducts.

Comments

4 Comments

excellent

Nov 13, 2009 at 8:46pm

Good idea. Excellent piece of land for drug money to build more condos.

Joannaa

Nov 16, 2009 at 8:01am

What a great idea. The albatrosses could be turned into beautiful green space.

RodSmelser

Nov 16, 2009 at 1:55pm

I guess the hunger for more condos and their accompanying DCC payments takes precendence over any other considerations.
Rod Smelser

Morag Cuthbertson

Feb 26, 2010 at 5:23pm

Marvellous idea. Let's do it and close Granville even if only at weekends too. I love our forward thinking council who can think out of the box.