VANCOUVER- The Government of British Columbia has awarded a $1.728 billion contract to the Broadway Subway Project Corporation to design and build Vancouver’s newest Skytrain extension.
The Broadway Subway Project Corporation is an Acciona-Ghella joint venture and the contract specifies the corporation will design, construct and partially finance the project with construction starting in fall 2020 and start of service in 2025.
“As we restore the economy through B.C.’s Restart Plan, major infrastructure projects like the Broadway Subway line will be key to our recovery. When completed, the Broadway Subway will transform how people get around in Vancouver. It will mean faster travel to work and school, better access to local business and fewer cars on the road,” B.C. Premier John Horgan said in a statement.
The Broadway Subway build is a 5.7 kilometre extension of the Millennium Line from VCC-Clark Station to Broadway and Arbutus.
Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp) is leading the delivery of the Broadway Subway Project on behalf of the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and will provide the controls, practices and other oversight for the project.
The project will be delivered under the province’s Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), which a B.C. government release said “will increase training and apprenticeship opportunities and prioritize hiring locals, Indigenous peoples, women, people with disabilities and other traditionally under-represented groups, including youth, who want to build a career in the skilled trades.”
BC Infrastructure Benefits will be responsible for implementation of the CBA for the project and will be the employer of the majority of the skilled workforce.
The overall budget for the project is $2.83 billion, funded and delivered by the B.C. government with contributions from the Government of Canada and the City of Vancouver.
“The Broadway corridor is the second-largest employment centre in B.C. with more than 85,000 jobs, but growing traffic congestion and transit overcrowding are impacting economic growth and the quality of life for our residents. With construction starting soon, we are closer to making an amazing street even better. This project will better the lives of families and workers, and further connect an essential hub to the rest of the region,” Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart added.
Homelessness and drug overdose should be the priority; creating life-time communities for all these people where they can work, and live, and enjoy life; where they can feel seen. loved, and have a sense of true belonging.
With the aftermath of Covid, more people will be working from home anyway in the future and folks in Surrey and outlying areas should be a priority for rapid transit, not the west side folks. And what will happen at Arbutus and Broadway? Perhap more east side residents will have access to the Arbutus Greenway, which will make lots of westsiders more than annoyed!
Why not have a real legacy in working on homelessness, drug overdose problem, and $10 daycare so more Canadians can afford to have children and work and live in Vancouver.