Burrard Bridge work down to final 3

Mike Howell-Staff writer

Consultants working on a plan to create more sidewalk space on the Burrard Bridge have narrowed their options to three, including running an additional portion of sidewalk outside the bridge's middle towers, supported by struts from underneath.

All three options for widening the sidewalks would run parallel to the existing sidewalks, with slight variations at the bridge's towers, according to architect David Dove of Busby and Associates, one of five firms working on the $250,000 study.

The two other options aren't as elaborate as the outrigger concept-one calls for a simple addition to the outside of the sidewalks and the other allows a portion of a new sidewalk to dip underneath the towers and run through the bridge's main piers.

The goal is to design options that don't interfere with marine traffic and the bridge's heritage design-curved retaining walls, concrete handrails and massive piers that taper as they rise from the water, said Dove, who is working with structural engineers and heritage and cycling consultants on the project.

This Saturday, the public can view the options from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Roundhouse Community Centre on Pacific Boulevard, where a scale model of the bridge is expected to be available.

In March, city council recommended the bridge's sidewalks be widened, but stipulated that the redesign not take away traffic lanes or impinge on the bridge's heritage value. Depending on the preferred option, the project could cost $10 million-almost $7 million more than narrowing the road by one lane to provide for wider sidewalks or bike lanes.

The consultants are expected to choose a final option before meeting with council July 29. Once council decides on an option, voters will be asked in a referendum during this year's municipal election whether they want to spend money on the upgrades, part of the city's 2003-2005 capital plan.

The consultants have also been asked to improve "the mess" on the north end of the bridge, where vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists meet at the off-ramp to Pacific Boulevard, Dove said.

"It's pretty messy... with cyclists trying to keep going straight up Burrard, cars trying to turn off to Pacific and pedestrians not sure where the hell to go," he said, noting the consultants still haven't worked out a design for that area.

"That area needs to be cleaned up and it will be cleaned up."

A recent city study on bridges that cross False Creek listed Burrard Bridge as the top priority for upgrades, noting high pedestrian and bicycle demand on the bridge has created the potential for collisions on overcrowded sidewalks.

About 500 pedestrians and cyclists use the bridge during the morning rush hour.

Meanwhile, engineering firm Buckland and Taylor is working with Hotson Bakker architects on a plan to build a suspended walkway under the Granville Bridge, which could likely require elevators at either end and cost about $10 million.

David Rawsthorne, a city transportation engineer, said the Granville project is still in its early stages and noted the city's focus is upgrading the Burrard Bridge before going ahead on other bridge projects.

An architect who proposed building a separate crossing under the Burrard Bridge told the Courier in March that he was disappointed city hall didn't conduct a feasibility study on it before throwing its support behind a Granville crossing.

Peter Reese, who drew up the plans with fellow architect Rob Grant in 1996, said his proposal for a suspended one-kilometre walkway was cheaper, more accessible and would have provided opportunities for small businesses to set up along the route.

However, the city conducted a marine survey on a sunny day last summer and found that 25 boats an hour would require the walkway to be opened to pass underneath, a process that would take six to eight minutes.

"This delay, combined with the potentially high number and randomness of marine traffic entering and exiting False Creek, may deter users from this route as compared to other options," concluded the False Creek Pedestrian and Cyclist Crossings study.