B.C. issues RFQ for Broadway Subway project in Vancouver

VANCOUVER — The Province of B.C. has invited bidders to submit qualifications to design, build and finance the $2.83-billion Broadway Subway project in downtown Vancouver.

The request for qualifications will be posted on BC Bid until April. The province will then choose up to three teams to participate in the request for proposals stage.

Officials anticipate early subway construction work will commence in 2020. Crews are already installing trolley wire poles and upgrading intersection signals and lampposts on routes adjacent to the corridor.

These upgrades will facilitate trolley bus detours and ease traffic disruptions during construction of the subway, explains a release.

PROVINCE OF B.C. — A map shows the route of the planned Broadway Subway project in downtown Vancouver, B.C. Work on the project is expected to begin next year and wrap up in 2025.

The Broadway Subway project will add 5.7 kilometres and six stations to the Millennium Line between VCC-Clark and Arbutus Street. It will also be one of the first major projects built under the province’s Community Benefits Agreement framework that was announced in 2018. According to the province, the agreement generates benefits to the surrounding community by providing opportunities for local workers, Indigenous peoples, apprentices and other groups.

However, many construction leaders and organizations have challenged the province, arguing the new policy favours the Building Trades, is discriminatory and violates the rights of workers. The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association as well other associations are challenging the agreement in court.

The project is being delivered by Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp), a Crown corporation that was previously tasked by the province to deliver the new Port Mann Bridge.

Work on the subway is expected to wrap up in 2025. The project is being funded by the Government of B.C., with contributions from the Government of Canada and the City of Vancouver.

“I’m excited that following years of planning, regional prioritizing and funding discussions, we have the green light to start construction on the Arbutus portion of the Broadway Subway,” said Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart in a press release. “The Broadway Subway is not only Vancouver’s number one transportation priority but an infrastructure investment that helps improve the entire region’s transportation future.”