What to do with the viaducts

Anyone living in Vancouver knows them - the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts on the east end of downtown. The original Georgia viaduct was built in about 1915. It was notoriously unsafe having been built on the cheap and was finally replaced in the early 1970s with the current structures, which were part of the intended freeway plan for the city. Fortunately the rest of the freeways never got built, but these remain. With the viaducts scheduled to be closed during the duration of the Olympics in February, many are questioning how necessary they really are and what could be done to improve them assuming they are kept.

One popular idea is to tear them down. Structurally they are sound, but should a big enough earthquake occur and knock them down (a very real possibility), would we really rebuild them? The city's transportation department probably says yes, but I think the vast majority of the population begs to differ. So why are we keeping them? Councillor Geoff Meggs has written a thought provoking article for The Tyee with this very suggestion: "Time for Vancouver to Tear Down Its Viaducts?" Obviously this can't be taken lightly, as it means new connections would be needed in the road network between the higher-elevation downtown and the lower-elevation False Creek flats, but that certainly isn't impossible. Removing the viaducts frees up valuable land owned by the city for development.

How about an elevated park? Close them to regular traffic, but not tear them down. The views from the viaducts are some of the best in the city because they are elevated above the surrouding buildings and there is little development immediately around them. Using New York's High Line as an idea, why not transform these roads into raised parks with walking paths, bike lanes, gardens and more. Development around the viaducts could be promoted to work in conjunction with the parks and preserve the views.

Finally, maybe we don't tear them down and don't significantly change the viaducts, but we develop around and beside them in a way that makes them streets people want to be on. This has already been started with the Spectrum project by Concord Pacific at the west end of the viaducts. At viaduct (upper/downtown) level there are now wide sidewalks with trees fronted by townhomes. Above the townhomes are 4 - 35 storey condominium towers. The sidewalks provide access to GM Place and via stairs access to the lower level and False Creek. At the lower level. below the Spectrum towers, is parking and a full size Costco store, accessed by the "other" city grid (Expo and Pacific Blvds.) Why can't this type of development take place between the viaducts for their full length, adding wide sidewalks with townhomes and/or retail on the upper level, giving pedestrians and cyclists a reason to travel along the viaducts, and connecting the east end. On the lower level retail and offices, adding life to those streets as well. Shops and cafes on Pacific Blvd. could be sheltered by the viaduct overhead, but still get sun because they face south. They'd have a great view to the future Creekside Park. Here's a very quick sketch of what I'm trying to describe.

With the development that is soon to start happening in this area (North East False Creek), now's the time to be debating what to do with these structures. The only thing I do know for sure is that the viaducts are they are now are serving only one purpose, and not very elegantly at that. Just about anything we can do will improve them and make them an asset instead of a burden.