Out yesterday and found that the Burrard Bridge renovation is partly complete. The west sidewalk is now half open (the south half). I like the way it looks.
Note the new cement dividers that delineate the west bike lane — some elements appear gracefully curved, and the design echoes the bridge railing.
Click an image for a larger view
I’ve been watching the progress over the last few months when I have been running across the bridge and I like the look of the suicide barrier. It looks quite good, fits in with the bridge design and looks much better than I thought it would
I too, was very sceptical but the end result is really good.
Overall, this project is turning out quite well. Much better than most had expected.
Same can be said about the reconfiguration of the south-end intersection at Burrard and Cornwall. Looks and flows better. I can’t wait for the the north-end intersection to be complete!
I rode it a few days ago. I agree that it looks very good. Came over the crest, heading west, and was suddenly on the new lane. The new sidewalk, railings and barrier fit in very well IMO. It will be an even bigger improvement on the northbound side.
Yeah, looks great.
They replaced all the old worn jersey barriers with new ones last weekend.
I love the renovation – I just hope they repave the bridge/bike lanes as well when they are all finished.
The city is doing a great job on this project. The heritage street lamps are gorgeous – where were they made? Here’s a link to the opening day in 1932:
http://www3.vpl.ca/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?AC=GET_RECORD&XC=/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll&BU=http%3A%2F%2Fwww3.vpl.ca%2Fspe%2Fhistphotos%2Fphotos-search.htm&TN=PHOTOS&SN=AUTO6315&SE=2942&RN=1&MR=5&TR=10000&TX=1000&ES=0&CS=0&XP=&RF=briefweb&EF=&DF=Full+Photo&RL=0&EL=0&DL=0&NP=2&ID=&MF=&MQ=&TI=0&DT=&ST=0&IR=1664&NR=0&NB=0&SV=0&SS=0&BG=&FG=&QS=&OEX=ISO-8859-1&OEH=ISO-8859-1
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Hard to see real detail in the historical photo, but the new street lamps and poles look very similar to the originals. I like them a lot.
The art deco concrete lamp standards, and bronze light fixtures were all newly constructed locally and in BC, replicating the originals which were removed in the 1960s.
VHS – Many thanks for the information about the lamps. I’m thrilled they were made locally – well done!
Thanks for the link.
Interesting that the chainlink fence by the girders has always been there.
Could be to prevent pedestrians from climbing the girders?
http://www3.vpl.ca/spePhotos/LeonardFrankCollection/02DisplayJPGs/4/7778K.jpg
… and I just noticed that lamp on the girder in the photo – I’ll have to see whether the renovation includes those or not.
Thanks for the photo; interesting that the chain link fence is original!
The replacement lamps have been affixed to the bridge structure, as they were, apparently, in the past.
Once again, this project is one that I think all Vancouverites should be proud of!
Walked it today in the snow, to get a better look. Even nicer up close. Congratulations to those responsible, looking forward to seeing it completed.
Super glad to see everyone’s positive feedback on the look of the barriers!
I was one of the naysayers with regards to the barrier; this project show that when purpose meets design, things can work out a-o-k. Thanks Crisis Centre of BC!
An old thread I know. Rode the new west side the other day. Is it my perception or is it less steep going up the slope from the north side than before?
Same bridge deck, so same grade. But so much nicer to ride on that the grade fades into the background.
I think there is a tiny little bit of higher slope at the start of the bridge which was smoothed a bit in the new route, so the slope is a tiny bit more even now, and you can carry speed a tiny bit better onto the bridge.
I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination or not, or just me being stronger at that moment. Maybe since the path is straighter at the intersection I’m not losing momentum like before.
In any case, there’s some good design here. Looking forward to the other side.