First phase of Stanley Park Seawall restoration wraps up

VANCOUVER — The City of Vancouver has wrapped up construction on the first phase of restoration of the 101-year-old Stanley Park Seawall.

Vancouver Park Board chair Stuart Mackinnon said this was the first time such a major restoration project had been done on the nine-kilometre seawall.

“We were very happy that impact to park users was kept to a minimum,” he said.  

Work on the $4.5-million restoration project began in April and was undertaken by Coquitlam, B.C’s Polycrete Restorations Ltd. It included stabilizing foundations, filling holes with grout and stone replacement. The design was completed by Vancouver’s Moffatt & Nichol engineering through early 2018.

The goal of the restoration work is to increase the seawall’s resiliency against more aggressive storms brought on by climate change, explains a release.

The first phase focused on areas with the highest level of damage such as Brockton and Ferguson points. Stonemasons were required to map and number facing stones on the seawall in order to reinstall them in exactly the same location.

The second phase, which requires board approval, is expected to begin early next year. The cost of the project includes environmental and archeological studies, permitting and monitoring.